Philip Morris fight with Lorillard for “M”
Recently, Philip Morris has accused the Lorillard Tobacco Co. in use of the letter “M” for its new Newport brand “M Newport Blend” and “M Newport Blend The Way to Chill”.
Philip Morris said that letter “M” is an allusion to its legendary Marlboro and Lorillard take advantage of this for promoting its brand.
Philip Morris made an appeal to U.S. District Court to exclude this letter from the packs and to pay compensatory damages, among other demands.
Lorillard denies the accusation of PM and saying that consumers do not associate the letter M alone with Philip Morris at all, let alone exclusively.
In February, Lorillard registered its “M Newport Blend” and “M Newport Blend The Way to Chill” at the Patent and Trademark Office.
So, the greatest US tobacco enterprise would keep its accusations against the 18th oldest company in the United States Lorillard.
According to a published article, PM accused the Lorillard of “violation of Marlboro’s trademark and asked the court to block the company from using the “M” logo with its Newport cigarettes or any other brand, and to pay compensatory damages, among other demands”.
Marlboro is the most popular cigarette in the U.S., with a 41.1% share of the retail market. Newport cigarettes had a 9% share.
