Article 25 of the Regulation on Official Announcements and Advertisements lays down a clear rule for this situation: similar content may not appear in two or more periodicals, whether in the same place or in different places. Where similarity is continuous, official announcements and advertisements are given to only one of them.
The rule: similar content is prohibited
The first paragraph lays down the prohibition and grants one exception: content that is subject to a contract is not taken into account in establishing similarity.
That exception matters. News taken from an agency on subscription or against a copyright fee naturally appears in more than one publication at the same time; the article does not treat that as similarity. What is decisive is that the content is contractually obtained.
What happens where similarity is continuous?
The second paragraph sets out the consequence: where two or more periodicals carry similar content continuously, official announcements and advertisements are given to only one of them. Which one is determined by the ownership position.
| Situation | Who decides |
|---|---|
| The publications have the same owner | That person chooses the publication to receive official announcements and advertising |
| The publications have different owners | The right to publish belongs to the publication that proves the right to use the similar content belongs to it |
The words “continuously” also matter: what is required is a state of continuity, not similarity on a single day.
The limits on carrying over content (Art. 24)
The prohibition on similarity does not mean quotation and reproduction are entirely forbidden. Article 24 sets two separate ceilings:
| Measure | Limit | Paragraph |
|---|---|---|
| Total volume carried over | May not exceed 10% of the news count or surface area | Art. 24(2) |
| From a single news item or column | At most 30% of it may be reproduced | Art. 24(3) |
The second paragraph provides that material may be carried over from the internet and from periodical or non-periodical publications on condition that the name and other necessary information are stated as the source. The third paragraph adds a critical consequence: material carried over in that way is not treated as original content.
The copyright dimension
Article 24(4) also recalls the copyright side of quotation: in content in which quotation is used, the name of the publication quoted and other necessary information must be stated clearly under the relevant provisions of Law No. 5846 on Intellectual and Artistic Works.
The same act is therefore assessed under two sets of rules: originality and proportion under the official announcement legislation, attribution and permission under copyright law.
Document your own production
Article 23(e) requires at least one sixth of the content to consist of news produced by the editorial staff shown on the roster. In a dispute about similarity, and in the daily content inspection, what you rely on is the same thing: the record of who produced which item.
Article 24(1) ties that to the source rule: it is compulsory to state the member of editorial staff who owns content produced by the persons declared on the roster. Source rules are covered in the source attribution guide.
Conclusion
Similar content may not appear in two or more periodicals; contractually obtained content is outside that assessment. Where similarity is continuous, official announcements are given to only one publication — the owner chooses if the owner is the same, and if the owners differ the right belongs to the publication that proves the right of use.
Reproduction is not entirely prohibited but has two ceilings: 10% of the news count or surface area in total, and at most 30% from a single item. Such reproductions are not treated as original content.