On July 26th  the Law introducing new restrictions in the area of adverting has come into force in Ukraine.

In particular, the current Law of Ukraine “On Advertising” will be amended by adding the prohibition for placement of advertisements or means of advertising on the supporting means/elements of the overhead systems, or on the means and equipment of outdoor lighting, including lighting poles.

From a practical standpoint it means that starting from 26 July 2018 the advertisements shall be moved from the above mentioned constructions. Otherwise the distributors of these advertisements may face a penalty in the amount of five times the price of the advertisements.

Notably, the first legislative initiatives related to the prohibition of such methods of advertising were noticed at the end of 2015. However, it took more than two and a half years to convince the Parliament of Ukraine of their necessity.

It is expected that the prohibition will contribute to the road safety and will ensure authentic image and space composition of the objects of cultural legacy and uniform architectural ensemble.

On the other side, the newly added restriction may benefit the distributors that offer other means of outdoor adverting, for instance, billboards.

The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.