It is one of the simplest obligations to comply with — and yet it is often forgotten. Anyone or any organisation that publishes a site must be identifiable. Here is what to include, depending on your situation.

Why it is mandatory

French law requires that a visitor be able to know who is behind a site and who hosts it. It is a matter of transparency and accountability. The absence of a legal notice exposes you to penalties.

This concerns almost every site: company, freelancer, association, and even most blogs.

What must be stated

For a company / freelancer:

• Name (or company name), legal form, share capital where applicable.
• Address of the registered office, email and/or phone.
• SIREN/SIRET, RCS number or trade register, depending on the activity.
• Intra-EU VAT number if applicable.
• The publication director.

For an association:

• Name of the association, address of the registered office, contact.
• The person responsible for publication.

In all cases — the host:

• Name, legal name and address of the site’s host.

And depending on the site:

• Link to the privacy / GDPR page (see our article GDPR).
• Terms and conditions (T&Cs) for an online shop.

A template to adapt

Legal notice

Site publisher: [Name / Company name]
Status: [company / freelancer / association]
Address: [address]
Contact: [email] — [phone]
[SIREN/SIRET: … — RCS: … — VAT: …]
Publication director: [Name]

Host: [Host name]
Address: [host address]

The case of a private individual

A non-professional publisher (personal blog) may, under certain conditions, choose not to publish all of their contact details — provided that the host holds them and can supply them at the request of the courts. Full anonymity, however, does not exist.

Key takeaways

A legal notice is quick to write and mandatory. A plain, up-to-date page that identifies the publisher and the host: that is the essential part. Remember to update it if your address or your host changes.

⚠️ This article outlines the broad principles; check the obligations specific to your activity (some professions have specific notices).