Philip Morris Sues Retailers Over Knockoffs

Source from:  RICHMOND, Va. (AP) September 26 2007 09/28/2007

In three lawsuits, 105 New Jersey and New York retailers are accused of selling counterfeit Marlboro cigarettes. Philip Morris USA filed suit against 105 New Jersey and New York retailers Wednesday, alleging they sold counterfeit versions of Marlboro brand cigarettes. In three suits the Richmond-based cigarette maker accuses several delis, grocers and convenience stores of selling cigarettes packaged to resemble Philip Morris USA products. The company wants the retailers to stop selling the fakes, submit to inspections of their inventory and provide information about their supplier. Company officials discovered the counterfeit cigarettes during a periodic marketplace purchase, one method the company uses to protect its brand, according to spokesman David Sutton. "These are obviously counterfeit products that were made to look like Marlboro or Marlboro Lights, for example," Sutton said. Sales of such products have been a particular problem in New York and New Jersey, he said. "You've got two states there with high cigarette excise taxes and in the case of New York City, you've got a high local cigarette excise tax," Sutton said. "This is an attempt to reap illegal profit by selling untaxed cigarettes." Enditem