ITC to Look into Tobacco Imports

Source from:  tobaccojournal.com 01 Apr 2008 04/03/2008

The U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) agreed to a request by Philip Morris USA to investigate cigarette imports from overseas companies for violating the company's trademarks. ITC, which can ban the imports if it determines they violate U.S. trademark law, said it would look into imports from companies based in Moldova, Belize, Singapore, the United Kingdom, Ukraine and other countries, the Associated Press reports. The companies sell cigarettes online through Web sites such as "all-cigarettes-brands.com," "save-on-cigarettes.com," and "dirtcheapbutts.com," the ITC said. Philip Morris, a subsidiary of Altria Corporation, alleged last month that the cigarette imports and their packaging infringed on its trademarks. Philip Morris's brands account for half of U.S. cigarette sales. The case will be referred to an administrative law judge who will investigate Philip Morris's complaint. The agency said it will set a target date for completing the investigation within 45 days. Enditem