Illinois General Assembly - Illinois Compiled Statutes

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720 ILCS 5/16-17

(720 ILCS 5/16-17)

Sec. 16-17. Theft of advertising services.

(a) A person commits theft of advertising services when he or she knowingly attaches
or inserts an unauthorized
advertisement in a newspaper or periodical, and redistributes it to the
public or has the intent to redistribute
it to the public.

(b) This Section applies to any newspaper or periodical that is offered for
retail sale or is distributed without
charge.

(c) This Section does not apply if the publisher or authorized distributor
of
the newspaper or periodical
consents to the attachment or insertion of the advertisement.

(d) In this Section, "unauthorized advertisement" means any form of representation or communication, including any handbill, newsletter, pamphlet, or notice that contains any letters, words, or pictorial representation that is attached to or inserted in a newspaper or periodical without a contractual agreement between the publisher and an advertiser.

(e) Sentence. Theft of advertising services is a Class A misdemeanor.
(Source: P.A. 97-597, eff. 1-1-12.)