Altria Seeks U.S. Importation Ban of Juul Products

Njoy has asked the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) to ban on the importation and sale of certain Juul products, including its currently marketed Juul device and Juul pods, citing patent infringements.  

“Protecting our intellectual property is critical to achieving our vision,” said Murray Garnick, executive vice president and general counsel of Njoy parent company Altria Group, in a statement. “Juul has infringed upon our patents through the sale of its imported products, and we ask the ITC to impose appropriate remedies in response to these trade violations.”

Njoy has also filed a complaint against Juul in the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware based on the same patent infringement. Njoy Ace is currently the only pod-based e-vapor product to have received marketing authorization from the FDA, which deemed the marketing of the ACE device and three ACE tobacco-flavored pods as “appropriate for the protection of public health.”

Njoy’s ITC complaint against Juul alleges trade violations associated with the sale of imported products that, according to Njoy, infringe U.S. Patent No. 11,497,864 and U.S. Patent No. 10,334,881. Njoy acquired the Asserted Patents from Fuma International, concurrently with the settlement of a patent infringement lawsuit filed against the company by Fuma.

Njoy’s complaint is the latest development in a broader intellectual property dispute.

In July, Juul Labs asked the ITC to block sales and imports of Njoy Ace, claiming that the product infringes several Juul patents. It has also filed a complaint against Njoy with the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona.

Juul Labs complain also targets Altria Group, which agreed to acquire the NJOY in March after exchanging its minority investment in Juul for a heated tobacco product intellectual property license.