Amendments To English Signage Requirements In Québec

On November 24, 2016, the Regulation to amend the Regulation respecting the language of commerce and business (Rules) came into force. The Rules come in the wake of Québec (Procureure générale) v Magasins Best Buy ltée. In Best Buy, the Québec Court of Appeal ruled that the practice of exclusively using non-French-language trademarks on public signage outside businesses, when French versions of such trademarks have not been registered and without including French content, complied with the Charter of the French language and the Regulation respecting the language of commerce and business. The Rules appear to be the Québec government's response to that decision.

The Rules provide that where a non-French-language trademark is displayed outside or is attached to a building or premises, "sufficient presence of French" must be ensured at the same site. This requirement applies equally to signs inside an establishment intended to be seen from the outside, signs