A legal notice (also known as an “imprint” or “legal mentions”) is one of the most fundamental — and most overlooked — requirements for any website. In France, failing to publish a legal notice is a criminal offence punishable by a fine of up to €75,000 for individuals and €375,000 for companies, along with up to one year of imprisonment. In 2026, with increased enforcement by the CNIL and DGCCRF, ignoring this obligation represents a significant risk.
What Does the Law Require?
The obligation to publish a legal notice stems from Article 6 of French Law No. 2004-575 of 21 June 2004, known as the LCEN (Law for Confidence in the Digital Economy). This law requires every website publisher — whether a showcase site, blog, or online store — to publish certain identifying information.
For individuals conducting professional activities, the legal notice must include their full name, home address, phone number, and, where applicable, their business registration number (RCS or RM). For companies, it must additionally include the company name, legal form, registered office address, and share capital.
The penalties are severe: Article 6-VI-2 of the LCEN provides for a €75,000 fine and one year of imprisonment for individuals. For companies, the fine is multiplied by five, reaching €375,000. These sanctions apply to any publicly accessible website, including personal sites and blogs. And these are only the LCEN penalties — on the GDPR side, fines are even steeper, as illustrated in our ranking of the 15 largest CNIL fines.
What Must Your Legal Notice Contain?
The required information varies by publisher status, but the common core includes:
For all websites:
- Full name of the publisher (or company name)
- Postal address (home or registered office)
- Phone number and email address
- Name of the publication director
- Web hosting provider details (name, address, phone number)
For businesses and professionals:
- SIREN or SIRET number
- Business registration number (RCS or trade register) with the relevant court city
- Intra-community VAT number
- Share capital (for companies)
- Terms of use and terms of sale (where applicable)
For e-commerce websites:
- All of the above, plus information required by consumer protection law: prices inclusive of tax, shipping costs, payment methods, and withdrawal rights
The legal notice must be accessible from every page of the site, typically via a footer link. For a comprehensive overview of all your obligations, see our guide on the 4 essential legal documents for every e-commerce website.
Legal Notice and GDPR: Additional Obligations
Since the GDPR came into effect, a legal notice alone is no longer sufficient. Websites that collect personal data — which includes virtually any site with a contact form, analytics tool, or cookies — must also publish a compliant privacy policy.
The GDPR (Articles 13 and 14) requires that users be clearly informed about the identity of the data controller, the purposes of processing, the legal basis, data recipients, retention periods, and their rights (access, rectification, erasure, portability). This information is distinct from the LCEN legal notice, though some elements overlap (publisher/controller identity, contact details).
In practice, the CNIL recommends maintaining two separate pages: a legal notice (LCEN obligations) and a privacy policy (GDPR obligations). To find out whether your business is subject to these requirements, see our guide on who is actually affected by GDPR.
The Most Common Mistakes
Many websites have incomplete or outdated legal notices. Here are the most frequent errors:
Confusing the legal notice with the privacy policy. These are two distinct documents with different legal foundations. The legal notice falls under the LCEN; the privacy policy under the GDPR.
Omitting hosting provider details. The LCEN explicitly requires that the hosting provider’s contact information (name, company name, address, phone number) appear in the legal notice. Many sites forget this information.
Failing to update after changes. A change of address, legal form, or share capital must be reflected in the legal notice. Outdated information may be treated as equivalent to a missing legal notice.
Using a generic template. Templates found online are often incomplete or unsuited to your specific situation (sole trader, company, regulated profession).
How to Get Compliant: Your Options
Hire a lawyer (€200-500): the most personalised solution, but also the most expensive. A specialised lawyer will draft a legal notice perfectly tailored to your situation, but the turnaround is often several weeks.
Use online templates (€0 but risky): templates exist, but they are often incomplete and rarely updated for 2026 regulations. Allow 2-4 hours of adaptation with no guarantee of compliance.
Use generic AI (ChatGPT, Claude) (€0 + lawyer review €150-300): these tools can produce a first draft, but legal notices require very specific information (registration numbers, court city, hosting provider). Omission errors are common and require legal verification.
Use specialised legal AI (€14.90-19.90): solutions like WebLegal.ai generate compliant legal notices in minutes by asking the right questions to collect all information required by the LCEN and GDPR. This approach ensures completeness while remaining accessible to small businesses.
Conclusion
A legal notice is not mere administrative formality: its absence is a criminal offence punishable by a €75,000 fine. In 2026, with increased enforcement, every website must have complete and up-to-date legal notices. Don’t risk a penalty that could jeopardise your business — ensure your compliance today.