Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

Philip Morris Threatens Suit on Cigarette Packaging

Tobacco giant worried Australia's laws will hurt competition

By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff

Posted Jun 27, 2011 8:32 AM CDT

(Newser) – Before the gross new cigarette packages arrive in the US, similar ones will arrive in Australia—and big tobacco is not happy. Philip Morris has threatened to sue the Australian government over its new packaging laws, slated to arrive in January 2012, which would introduce drab, olive-colored packages with no brand identification other than the name. The tobacco giant's legal claim would come under Australia's bilateral investment treaty with Hong Kong, and would ultimately be decided by the UN, Reuters reports.

In this computer-generated image, proposed cigarette packaging stripped of all logos and replaced with graphic images that tobacco companies in Australia will be forced to use is shown.
In this computer-generated image, proposed cigarette packaging stripped of all logos and replaced with graphic images that tobacco companies in Australia will be forced to use is shown.   (AP Photo/Minister for Health and Ageing)
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
My TakeCLICK BELOW TO VOTE
8%
5%
3%
57%
3%
24%
To report an error on this story, notify our editors.
COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 12 comments
BrushMan
Jun 27, 2011 1:31 PM CDT
On future MMJ packages we could see warnings that you might forget where you parked the car, or that you might get the munchies or arouse the sweet tooth!
elderban
Jun 27, 2011 12:27 PM CDT
If they're going to force cigarette makers to put these images on packs of cigarettes, then they need to force beverage manufacturers to put pictures of mutilated people in smashed up cars on bottles of beer and alcohol. Let's see how far that would get...
SC23
Jun 27, 2011 11:53 AM CDT
I see a whole new market for disposable cigarette pack covers.. maybe even with kewl prints on the outside..just sayin..

 
Australia • smoking • cigarettes • tobacco • cigarette sales • Big Tobacco

 
NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS
Other Sites We Like:   24/7 Wall St.   |   BuzzFeed   |   Cracked   |   Timelines   |   POPSUGAR Tech   |   Business Insider   |   HuffPost Entertainment   |   NewsOne