South African ruling bans anti-smoking ad.

This article reports that British American Tobacco has persuaded South Africa's advertising self-regulatory body to ban a parody of its Benson & Hedges cigarette campaign. The parody, funded by an anti-smoking lobby called the Tobacco Action Group, was produced by one of the country's hottest creative agencies, Net#work. It mocks Benson & Hedges' ampersand effort, which is an extension of an international campaign executed locally by BLGK Bates. According to Mike Schalit, Net#work's creative director, its ad simply reiterated the warnings that cigarette manufacturers must print on their packs and ads. He claimed that the ruling is an infringement on commercial freedom of speech. However, Ian Shepherd, chairman of the Advertising Standards Authority, this case is not about freedom of speech but about the protection of intellectual property rights, which is an equally important freedom.