Ryanair to Pay French Presidential Couple over Ad

By The Associated Press

posted: 05 February 2008 02:59 pm ET

: Francis Taitgen, the lawyer of Irish low-cost air-carrier Ryanair, answers reporters at Paris court house on Tuesday Feb. 5, 2008. A Paris court ruled on Tuesday that Irish low-cost carrier Ryanair must pay President Nicolas Sarkozy and his new wife Carla Bruni a total of euro60,001 (US$88,975) for an advertisement featuring a photo of the couple. Credit: AP Photo/Remy de la Mauviniere
: Francis Taitgen, the lawyer of Irish low-cost air-carrier Ryanair, answers reporters at Paris court house on Tuesday Feb. 5, 2008. A Paris court ruled on Tuesday that Irish low-cost carrier Ryanair must pay President Nicolas Sarkozy and his new wife Carla Bruni a total of euro60,001 (US$88,975) for an advertisement featuring a photo of the couple. Credit: AP Photo/Remy de la Mauviniere

PARIS (AP) -- President Nicolas Sarkozy and his wife, Carla Bruni, won a lawsuit against Irish low-cost airline Ryanair, which was ordered to pay a total of euro60,001 (US$88,975) for an advertisement featuring a photo of the couple.

Sarkozy and Bruni filed separate lawsuits that were heard together in a court session in Paris, seeking damages for the carrier's use of the image for commercial purposes without permission.

Bruni, a former model turned singer, was awarded euro60,000 (US$88,974) -- less than the euro500,000 (US$741,450) she had sought. Sarkozy asked for a symbolic one euro, which the court granted.

Airline spokesman Peter Sherrard said the case had been "settled satisfactorily," and that Ryanair had offered to double-up by giving another euro60,000 to a charity of Sarkozy's choice "(i)n light of the extraordinary worldwide publicity generated by this single advert."

The advertisement, which appeared in Le Parisien newspaper on Jan. 28, shows Sarkozy and Bruni gazing skyward, with a think bubble over Bruni's head reading, "With Ryanair, my whole family will be able to attend my wedding."

Ryanair said late last month that it had sent a written apology to the president with a promise not to publish the ad again and an offer to donate euro5,000 (US$7,400) to his favorite charity. It made a similar offer to Bruni - -a symbolic euro, and euro5,000 to charity -- but rejected her claim for euro500,000 as "totally unjustified."

Sarkozy and Bruni were married on Saturday.