Pennsylvania court confirms Camel advertisement infringed regulations
According to the decision of Pennsylvania Supreme Court, the advertisements of Camels published in Rollin Stone Magazine two years ago next to colorful cartoon pictures that promoted smoking and associated it with rock music infringed the pledge made by cigarette industry more than ten years ago, when the industry giants promised not to use cartoons to allure teenagers to cigarettes.
Shirley M. Young, Pennsylvania Attorney General spokesperson stated that they celebrated the major victory against the cigarette tycoon R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co.
She also admitted that nine other states across America have filled similar action suits that require compensation payments.
David Howard, R.J. Reynolds senior communications manager stated on Thursday that the North Carolina Company will definitely appeal against the court’s decision.
William J. Manfredi, Pennsylvania court adjudicated R.J. Reynolds Tobacco to pass $302,000 to the state treasury as a compensation for damages or publish a one-page smoking-discouraging ad in the next Rolling Stone edition, which is selling throughout Pennsylvania.
Pronouncing the judgment, Manfredi declared that R.J. Reynolds infringed the industry commitment not to promote cigarettes to adolescents when they published one of their ads of Camels next to cartoons produced and published by the Rolling Stone magazine. Judge said the cigarette manufacturer should have shunned placing their ad next to those cartoon pictures.
Manfredi as well stated that the court considers the ad as the infringement of the Master Settlement Agreement and Consent Decree since R.J. Reynolds promoters were liable for the evasion of such alluring association of the cartoons published by the Rolling Stone Magazine and their previous advertising campaign.
The Master Settlement Agreement has been signed more than a decade ago between 46 American states and cigarette industry. This landmark agreement contained an article that prohibited the usage of cartoons and G-rated movies to promote and advertise cigarettes in order to avoid alluring minors to cigarettes.
The questionable advertisement was published two years ago in November edition of Rolling Stone magazine.
The advertisement published in Rolling Stone promoted the campaign called "The Farm: Free Range Music" by Camel brand and backed free-lance record labels whereas placing black-and-white photos of people in retro clothes, domestic animals and other objects related to farm life.
That is the first case when the defense of R.J. Reynolds was unsuccessful since the cigarette maker was luckier in the similar lawsuits against other states.
Washington and Main courts decided that R.J. Reynolds was not liable for the ad placement. California Supreme Court convicted the cigarette manufacturer of violation of tobacco industry, but claimed it was not liable for the ad placement. Similar suits in 5 other states are still pending.
However, neither court obliged the company to pay compensations.
