Heated tobacco news network reports: Imperial Tobacco's vaping device company has sued 9 U.S. companies for patent infringement. Fontem Ventures, the vaping business subsidiary of Imperial Tobacco, has filed patent infringement lawsuits against 9 U.S. com
According to reports from the Heated Tobacco Information Network, Imperial Tobacco has filed a patent infringement lawsuit against nine U.S. companies. Fontem Ventures, a subsidiary of Imperial Tobacco's e-cigarette business, has initiated legal action against nine American companies, including Lorillard's subsidiary and NJOY, for patent infringement.
TobaccoToday reported that the lawsuit, filed on March 5 in a U.S. district court in California, concerns four patents. The lawsuit is named LOEC, and the defendants include: Lorillard's subsidiary that manufactures blu e-cigarettes, NJOY, Starfire Industries, Vapor Company, FIN brand/Victory E-Cigarettes, CB Distributors, Logic Technology Development, VMR Products, and Balantine Brands.
Fontem Ventures, based in the Netherlands, is the vehicle through which Imperial Tobacco acquired e-cigarette patents from Dragon International for $75 million last year. Dragon International is a Chinese company co-founded by Han Li, who invented the modern e-cigarette.
Han Li's joining the Fontem team was part of this transaction, and the company stated at the time that it was part of a new and core global patent for e-cigarette technology.
