The US International Trade Commission (ITC) announced it would be conducting an investigation into a legal dispute involving British American Tobacco (BAT) and Philip Morris International (PMI) in a heat-not-burn (HNB) patent-infringement lawsuit.
The lawsuit was filed April 9 by three Reynolds American Inc. business units focused on the technology involved in making HNB cigarettes.
Altria Group and Philip Morris USA are also being sued in addition to PMI.
R.J. Reynolds Tobacco, RAI Strategic Holdings, and R.J. Reynolds Vapor are requesting a temporary and a permanent injunction against the importation, sale, and distribution of PMI’s IQOS products, as well as “enhanced damages,” alleging that “defendants’ infringement is deliberate, willful, and unlicensed.”