Overview

• On May 27, the tribunal correctionnel de Nanterre declared itself territorially incompetent, nullifying the two-day trial against Bastien Vivès for alleged pedopornographic depictions of minors.
• Child protection associations including Innocence en danger and Fondation pour l’enfance had filed complaints over the adult-only albums "La Décharge mentale" and "Petit Paul", deeming their sexual portrayals of minors harmful.
• Vivès’ lawyer Richard Malka argued that the contested works—sold under blister packs and restricted to adult readers—were caricatures exercising creative freedom without advocating or normalizing sexual violence.
• The defense successfully challenged venue by noting that Vivès lives in Paris and his publishers are headquartered in Grenoble and Bordeaux, leading Nanterre judges to dismiss the case.
• The case will be transferred to a competent jurisdiction, prolonging legal scrutiny over the boundaries between creative liberty and the protection of minors.