Québec Introduces New French Language Requirements For Public Signage

On November 4, 2016, the Québec government announced new regulations amending the rules under the Charter of the French Language and requiring public signage that displays English trademarks to also include a French-language description of the business or other "sufficient presence of French."

Key events leading up to the amendments

As first reported in our May 2016 Update, the amendments come after many years of attempts by the Office québécois de la langue française (the Office) to require retailers to use French on exterior store signage. Most recently, in 2011, the Office attempted to impose an interpretation of the Charter requiring that a generic term in French accompany their English trademark on their public signs, posters and commercial advertising. In response, a number of retailers challenged the Office's interpretation in court and were ultimately successful with the Québec Superior Court siding with the retailers. The Attorney General of Québec