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• Philip Morris USA Sues Retailers Across New York City to Combat Counterfeit Cigarette Sales 

Philip Morris USA (PM USA) filed lawsuits today in federal court against eight retailers selling counterfeit versions of the company's Marlboro(R) brand cigarettes in the New York City area.

"The New York metropolitan area is the most lucrative market in the U.S. for counterfeit and contraband cigarette smugglers," said Joe Murillo, Vice President and Associate General Counsel, Altria Client Services, speaking on behalf of PM USA. "The highest cigarette excise taxes in the nation ($6.86 per pack in federal, state and city taxes), fuel this illicit trade, making New York the largest market for counterfeit and contraband cigarettes in the country. New York State's lack of effective enforcement on cigarettes sold to Native American retailers, makes the already significant problems in the New York area worse," added Murillo.

These lawsuits are the latest in a series of filings by Philip Morris USA aimed at combating the sale of counterfeit cigarettes in New York. Since May 2009, Philip Morris has filed lawsuits against 47 retailers in New York for selling counterfeit Marlboro(R) brand cigarettes.

In a related case, PM USA sued Tammy's Smoke Shop, a smoke shop on the Poospatuck Indian Reservation on Long Island in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York. On July 19, 2010, the judge in that case determined that PM USA is entitled to $100,000 statutory damages for trademark infringement based on the sale of counterfeit Marlboro(R) brand cigarettes.

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