Overview
- The Court of Appeal of Versailles on Wednesday reduced but upheld a civil judgment requiring Jean‑Baptiste Rivoire to pay €142,500 to his former employer Canal+ for breaching a confidentiality clause.
- The judges ruled that Rivoire’s comments in a Reporters Without Borders documentary dated October 2021 were made 'too soon' after he signed a confidentiality agreement in February 2021.
- Reporters Without Borders and a collective of unions and journalists condemned the ruling as a dangerous precedent for press freedom and compared the case to strategic lawsuits that can silence reporting.
- Rivoire’s lawyer, Me Vincent Brengarth, said the decision failed to address the clause’s chilling effect and confirmed his client intends to seek cassation at the Court of Cassation.
- The dispute is tied to wider concerns about Vincent Bolloré’s influence at Vivendi/Canal+ and recent management moves, including Canal+ leaders saying they will not work with film professionals who publicly criticised Bolloré, which has widened industry tensions.