Philip Morris International Inc. (PMI) faces the risk of having imports of its IQOS heated-tobacco sticks to the US blocked, as a result of an ongoing legal battle with British American Tobacco Plc. (BAT), over the product’s patent.
In May 2020, BAT submitted a lawsuit against its main competitor, PMI, in the United States and Germany, alleging that the tobacco heating technology used in PMI’s HnB device, IQOS, has infringed its patents.
BAT had explained that in the US, it had filed two patent infringement claims, one via the US International Trade Commission (ITC) and one in the Virginia federal court. The tobacco company claimed it sought compensation for the damages caused and an injunction on importing the product.
Both the lawsuits in Germany and the US, are based on the accusation that the heating blade technology used in IQOS, is an earlier version of the technology currently being used in BAT’s Glo tobacco heating devices. BAT had planned to launch its Glo range in Germany this year, and PMI started selling IQOS in the US in 2019, with the latter being the only HnB device approved for sale in the country.
Diane Caruana – Vapingpost.com – March 5, 2021.
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