Philip Morris Sues Web Sites for Illegal Sales

Source from:  Tue Sep 18, NEW YORK (Reuters) 09/28/2007

Philip Morris USA, a unit of Altria Group Inc, said on Tuesday that it had filed two federal lawsuits against Web site operators, saying they were selling illegally imported cigarettes bearing its own and the Marlboro trademarks. The lawsuits said the owners or operators of www.paylessmoke.com, www.cigmall.net and a number of related Internet sites were violating the Imported Cigarette Compliance Act of 2000 by selling Philip Morris cigarettes manufactured for sale abroad, not in the United States. In some instances, the Web sites have also made false statements about the legality of those sales and failed to comply with applicable tax laws, as well as a federal rule that requires online cigarette sellers to report all sales to the buyer's home state tax authority, Philip Morris said in a statement. The lawsuits were filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. Enditem