France Telecom (FTE) Thursday said the Paris Court of Appeals has ruled in favor of its Orange brand regarding a legal dispute with rivals about the commercial rights of its Orange Sport television channel.

"The appeal court has ruled in favor of Orange," a France Telecom spokesman said.

In a statement later Thursday, Orange said it will take up commercialization of its Orange Sport channel Friday evening on the Web and as of Saturday in its stores.

A French commercial court in February asked France Telecom to stop linking subscriptions to its Orange Sport channel exclusively to its broadband packages.

Rival broadband providers Iliad SA (ILD.FR) and Neuf Cegetel, now owned by Vivendi SA (VIV.FR) SFR, had complained to the court that it was unfair that Orange Sport was available only to France Telecom's broadband subscribers.

Company Web site: www.francetelecom.com

-By Ruth Bender, Dow Jones Newswires; +33 1 40 17 17 40; ruth.bender@dowjones.com