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CAP code meaning

What does CAP code mean?
The CAP Code is the UK advertising industry’s self-regulatory rulebook used in practice to assess and clear non-broadcast marketing communications. It is drafted by the Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP) and enforced by the Advertising Standards authority (ASA). It is not defined in legislation and is not statutory, but it operates alongside consumer protection law and is backed by ASA rulings, media refusals, and referrals to Trading Standards in serious cases. Its scope covers non-broadcast advertising, direct marketing and promotional marketing in any medium, including online and social media content, influencer marketing, paid-for ads, brand websites and apps, email and SMS, and sales promotions and prize draws. It applies to advertisers, agencies and media owners, and to ads targeted at UK consumers regardless of the marketer’s location. Broadcast advertising is regulated separately by the BCAP Code. Core principles require advertising to be legal, decent, honest and truthful, socially responsible, and not misleading, harmful or offensive. The Code contains detailed rules on substantiation, pricing and qualifications, comparative claims, children, health and medicines, gambling, alcohol, HFSS foods, environmental claims and promotional mechanics. The CAP Code applies uniformly across England & Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. In Ireland, the counterpart is the ASAI Code; the...
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View the related Checklists about CAP code

CHECKLISTS
UK non-broadcast/print advertising legal clearance checklist: CAP Code, DMCCA 2024 and CMA guidance (pricing, claims, endorsements, children, sector rules, AI, reviews)

This Checklist highlights the principal points to review when signing off advertising copy. It is designed to assist advertisers and their legal advisers in ensuring print ads adhere to statutory and self-regulatory requirements, including the UK Code of Non-broadcast Advertising and Direct & Promotional Marketing (CAP Code), Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP) help notes, and the unfair commercial practices provisions of the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 (DMCCA 2024). For broader guidance on advertising controls, see Practice Note: Advertising law and regulation. A third column is available to capture remarks or observations as you progress through the Checklist... Checklist Further information Notes (if any) Introductory considerations Have you reviewed the CAP Code and CAP’s Formal Guidance, along with relevant guidance from trading standards bodies and the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA)? Non-broadcast advertising is governed by legislation as well as the CAP Code. For more detail, see Practice Note: Advertising law and regulation... Have you taken account of relevant consumer legislation? When...

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CHECKLISTS
UK print marketing campaigns: practitioner checklist on targeting, placement, agency contracts, data protection, DMCCA 2024/CAP Code compliance, comparative claims, IP, prize/price promotions and clearance

This Checklist supports planning for a print marketing campaign. It concentrates on marketing-specific needs, excluding wider transactional matters (eg contract formation, distance selling). Scope includes targeting and placement, agency agreements, data protection, advertising compliance, and prize or price promotions. It also addresses conformity with the UK’s legislative and self-regulatory framework, notably the unfair commercial practices rules in the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 (DMCCA 2024) and the UK Code of Non-broadcast Advertising and Direct & Promotional Marketing (CAP Code). Print ads remain pivotal to big-brand activity, across billboards, posters, brochures, leaflets, newspapers and magazines. In the UK, print advertising is overseen through a blend of industry self-regulation and statute. For a wider briefing on the UK advertising environment, see Practice Note: Advertising law and regulation. See also: Advertising copy approval—checklist; Planning a digital marketing campaign—checklist. A third column is available to capture observations or remarks while working through the Checklist... Checklist Further information Notes (if any) Targeting and placement ...

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CHECKLISTS
UK digital marketing campaigns: legal compliance checklist (DMCCA 2024, CAP Code, UK GDPR, PECR 2003, OSA 2023)

How to use this Checklist Use this Checklist when mapping out a digital marketing campaign. The emphasis is on marketing‑specific requirements, and it does not deal with general matters connected to transactional activity (eg contract formation and distance selling). It spans media selection, territorial targeting, agency contracts and agreements, data protection and safeguarding, advertising compliance, user‑generated content and material, influencer engagement and partnerships, prize and price promotions, and behavioural advertising. It also looks at adherence to the legislative and self‑regulatory regime in the UK, including the unfair commercial practices provisions in the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 (DMCCA 2024) and the UK Code of Non‑broadcast Advertising and Direct & Promotional Marketing (CAP Code). Digital marketing can reach consumers at home, at work and, via their mobiles, tablets and video game consoles, almost everywhere else. Alongside unrivalled potential audience numbers, it gives brands the chance to target individuals on the basis of their specific interests, locations or habits. It is no surprise, then, that brands are moving...

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View the related News about CAP code

NEWS
UK and EU energy law update: 29 February 2024: Ofgem price cap, DESNZ Strategy and Policy Statement and GIGA, ECT withdrawal, UK ETS penalties consultation, renewables SIs, solar planning appeal

In this issue: Key developments and materials Electricity and gas market regulation and licensing Renewable energy Planning issues in energy projects Air emissions, efficiency, and climate change International energy LexTalk®Energy: a Lexis®Nexis community Daily and weekly news alerts New and updated content Dates for your diary Trackers Key developments and materials DESNZ publishes draft Strategy and Policy Statement for energy policy The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) has issued a synopsis of feedback to its May 2023 consultation on a draft Strategy and Policy Statement for energy policy in Great Britain. See: LNB News 22/02/2024 108... Electricity and gas market regulation and licensing Ofgem amends energy price cap between 1 April to 30 June 2024 Ofgem has stated that from 1 April to 30 June 2024 the annual energy cost for a typical household using electricity and gas will drop to £1,690, below the £1,928 cap...

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NEWS
UK commercial law update: ASA drops energy labelling rules; EWHC on default interest and advisory fees; Procurement Act changes; HMRC customs; supply chain ransomware and forced labour.

In this issue: Advertising, marketing and sponsorship Contracts International Public procurement Supply chain Supply of services LexTalk®Commercial: a Lexis®Nexis community Daily and weekly news alerts New and updated content Dates for your diary Trackers Advertising, marketing and sponsorship The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has confirmed that the Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP) and the Broadcast Committee of Advertising Practice (BCAP) will delete energy labelling requirements from their Codes and related guidance following a review and public consultation. The rules being withdrawn are CAP Code 11.8 and 11.9, and BCAP Code 9.9 and 9.10, which were added in 2011 to align with legal obligations to include energy labels and product fiche details in specified ads. CAP and BCAP consulted from 3 February to 4 March 2025 and received no objections. See: LNB News 27/10/2025 20. ASA rulings—29 October 2025: The ASA considered a single complaint about an in‑app advert by WHG (International) Ltd...

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NEWS
UK and EU commercial law weekly: ASA Vodafone ruling; CAP/BCAP DMCC Act 2024 changes; BNPL regulation; UK-EU partnership; EHRC Code consultation

In this issue: Advertising, marketing and sponsorship Consumer protection International Supply of services Daily and weekly news alerts New and updated content Dates for your diary Trackers Latest Q&A Advertising, marketing and sponsorship ASA rulings—21 May 2025 The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) assessed two objections to Vodafone Ltd’s website promotions about pricing. Concerns centred on misleading savings representations and the way promotional prices were put forward. The ASA upheld both challenges. See: LNB News 21/05/2025 9. CAP and BCAP implement new misleading advertising rules under Digital Markets Act The Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP) and the Broadcast Committee of Advertising Practice (BCAP) have revised their advertising rules to mirror the unfair commercial practices regime in the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024. From April 2025, advertisers must disclose the total price, are barred from fake reviews, must identify incentivised reviews, and must not present consumer reviews in a misleading way. The...

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View the related Practice Notes about CAP code

PRACTICE NOTES
UK Film and Television Law Glossary: Terms C–D—copyright, collecting societies, broadcasting, distribution

Film and TV glossary A–B Film and TV glossary E–H Film and TV glossary I–L Film and TV glossary M–P Film and TV glossary R–S Film and TV glossary T–W CAP Code for non-broadcast media The UK Code of Non-broadcast Advertising and Direct & Promotional Marketing (the CAP Code) serves as the principal framework governing non-broadcast adverts, promotional sales activity and direct marketing messages. It is drafted by the Committee on Advertising Practice (CAP), a self-regulatory body whose membership comprises organisations representing advertising, sales promotion, direct marketing and media industries. The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) polices the CAP Code and may require the withdrawal or amendment of any advertisement that contravenes these standards. Refer to Practice Note: Advertising law and regulation. Channel 4 Channel 4 operates as a ‘publisher-broadcaster’: it produces no programmes internally, commissioning content from production companies across the UK. Cinematograph film Under the Copyright Act 1956 (CA 1956), films gained protection as...

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PRACTICE NOTES
Fines on Criminal Conviction in England and Wales: Magistrates’ and Crown Court Powers, Maximum Fines, Sentencing Bands, Surcharges, Corporate Offenders, Enforcement and Remission

The principal rules for imposing fines after conviction sit in sections 118–132 of the Sentencing Act 2020 (SA 2020), also called the Sentencing Code. On conviction, a court may order a monetary penalty in place of, or in addition to, another sentence where the offence allows a fine, and this can occur in either the Crown Court or the magistrates’ court. Any financial penalty must reflect the seriousness of the conduct and may not exceed any statutory maximum attached to the offence. A fine is inappropriate where the gravity of the offence demands immediate custody, and it must not be used where a mandatory sentence applies (for example, life imprisonment for murder). See: A-G’s Reference (No 41 of 1994) (1995) 16 Cr App Rep (S) 792 (not reported by LexisNexis®). Where an offence sets a ceiling for the amount, the court is bound by that cap. Maximum fines Magistrates’ court Certain criminal offences heard in the magistrates’ court have an upper limit on fines prescribed by statute...

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PRACTICE NOTES
UK Advertising Law: DMCCA 2024, CAP/BCAP Codes, ASA/Ofcom Enforcement, OSA 2023 Duties, BPR 2008, IP and Data Protection, Complaints, Sanctions and the Online Advertising Programme

Regulatory regime overview Advertising in the UK is governed by legislation alongside self-regulatory industry codes, chiefly the UK Code of Non-broadcast Advertising and Direct & Promotional Marketing (CAP Code) and the UK Code of Broadcast Advertising (BCAP Code) (outlined below). Self-regulation plays a central role in the UK; however, broadcast advertising operates within a statutory framework under the Communications Act 2003 (CA 2003). Marketers should also be mindful of sector-specific rules and codes. The principal laws addressing unfair or misleading commercial practices, which also inform the CAP and BCAP Codes, include: Chapter 1 of Part 4 and Schedule 20 to the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 (DMCCA 2024) The Business Protection from Misleading Marketing Regulations 2008 (BPR 2008), SI 2008/1276 Consumer protection from unfair trading From 6 April 2025, Part 4, Chapter 1 of the DMCCA 2024 largely repealed the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 (CPUTR 2008), SI 2008/1277, save for certain transitional provisions concerning a...

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