JUUL Labs, Inc. (“JLI”) announced today that the United States International Trade Commission (“ITC”) has voted to institute an investigation of alleged patent infringement by 21 named Respondents, including Eonsmoke, LLC, Ziip Lab Co., Limited, and XFire, Inc. The ITC’s decision to institute this investigation of the Respondents and their activities is based on JLI’s amended complaint filed October 26, 2018.
JLI’s amended complaint asserts that Respondents violate U.S. trade laws by selling for importation and importing infringing Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS) (or more commonly referred to as “nicotine vaporizers”) and associated components. JLI asserts 68 claims from five U.S Patents – U.S. Patent Nos. 10,070,669; 10,076,139; 10,045,568; 10,058,130; and 10,104,915 – and requests the ITC issue a limited exclusion order prohibiting any of the Respondents from continuing to import their infringing nicotine vaporizers and components into the US. The ITC may issue the requested exclusionary orders against a given Respondent if the Commission determines that a Respondent has violated even one of the multiple patent claims asserted in JLI’s amended complaint.
“We are pleased with the ITC’s decision to institute the investigation into the alleged infringements,” said Gerald Masoudi, Chief Legal Officer at JUUL Labs based in Washington, D.C. “We will continue to defend our intellectual property to protect our business providing an alternative to adult smokers who want to switch from combustible cigarettes.”
The assigned ITC administrative law judge will soon set a target date for completing the investigation, but generally such investigations conclude 12-14 months from institution.
About JUUL Labs, Inc.
JUUL Labs is a technology company dedicated to eliminating cigarettes by offering existing adult smokers a true alternative to combustible cigarettes. The company’s research shows that more than one million smokers have already switched to JUUL, and we are working to enable millions more to switch in the coming years through technological innovations.
Media Contact: press@juul.com
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