The ‘2 Aristocrats’ Fined by Condom

The town of Condom in southwestern France, which just happens to be situated on the Baise (F***) River, takes derogatory allusions by English-speaking tourists very seriously. In its latest effort to preserve its name and reputation, the town has fined a condom manufacturer whose owners refer to themselves as the ‘2 Aristocrats’ an amount of 10,000 Euros for falsely claiming their products as coming from the town.

A court in the city of Bordeux has ordered the firm, to remove all references to the town from its product advertisements as only an unoccupied address of the company could be found at Condom. It has also been ascertained that instead of being produced in France, the referred condoms of the “Original Condom Company” were not produced at Condom, but in Malaysia.

The Mayor of Condom, Bernard Gallardo, said the town of about 7,000 residents, which has been there from 1800 and earlier, has “other advantages” to boast of than its name, which causes English-speaking tourists to pose and take photos next to its main sign.

The Original Condom Company, which is run by two Frenchmen, claims to be from the town of Condom and priced its product launch last year for ‘discerning’ U.S. consumers at $13.50 for three pieces of ‘luxury prophylactics’ packed in a black box.

The Condom Mayor emphasized, “We’re not going to hide our heads in the sand, we won’t prevent people from making a link with the name. But retreating into such notoriety can only compromise the tourism qualities of the town.”

And the town is truly beautiful, as can be attested by visitors, with mansions that are more than 200 years old and placed in an idyllic setting on the river. The town has two old castles, both from the 13^th century. The town is also famous for its Armagnac, its international music festival, chess tournament, and an international chess marathon.