Electronic cigarette manufacturer Juul files complaint against "copied products"

LONDON (Reuters) – Juul Labs, the maker of electronic cigarettes at the heart of the US crackdown on young people's vaping, has filed patent infringement claims in the United States and Europe against its imitating rivals.

The complaints follow the seizure this week of more than 1,000 pages of Juul Labs documents on its marketing and business practices as they investigate the growing use of e-cigarettes among young people that threatens to create a new generation addicts to nicotine.

Juul, who controls nearly three-quarters of the US e-cigarette market, said on Thursday that he had filed a complaint with the US International Trade Commission, alleging that more than 15 entities, most of them based in the US and China, were developing and sold products based on its patented technology.

The company said its UK subsidiary had also filed a lawsuit in Britain against French company J Well France SAS, alleging that its range of Bo electronic cigarettes was in violation of its UK patents.

J Well, France did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Silicon Valley-based Juul start-up company gained notoriety in the United States in just a few years, thanks to its high nicotine content and stylish flash-sized device. Its dizzying growth and popularity in high schools across the country have drawn the attention of government officials and regulators.

It also sparked a wave of cheaper rivals.

"The rapid proliferation of products infringing on our intellectual property continues to grow as our market share increases," Kevin Burns, president and CEO of Juul, said in a statement.

"Consumer protection and the prevention of the use of minors are crucial priorities, and we will take the necessary steps, if necessary, to limit illegal copied products that undermine our efforts."

Juul said that many of these rival products appear to be sold with little or no age verification process and seem to target young people with aromas such as "bubble bubble" and "acidulous".

The major tobacco companies, including Philip Morris (PM.N), British American Tobacco (BATS.L), Imperial Brands (IMB.L) and Altria (MON), are increasingly present in the alternative market for cigarettes as smokers worldwide reduce their spending.