Juul Labs sues numerous companies for counterfeiting
A victim of its own success, the e-cig brand Juul has seen a rise in counterfeit products. Now, the young company has decided to make a formal complaint and take the counterfeiters to court.
On November 27, 2017, Juul sued 24 companies for copying its patent-protected product. Thanks to this, the company is hoping to stop the illegal sale of electronic cigarettes that closely resemble the design of the Juul. Juul’s successful e-cig pod has been a major windfall for the company, and it does not want to see counterfeiters eat away at its profits.
The majority of the companies accused of selling counterfeit products are in China and Uruguay. Last October, Juul also made complaints against companies based in the USA, accusing competitors of selling cartridges compatible with Juul products. However, according to Juul, the composition of many counterfeit products is not specified, and their manufacturers offer no guarantee to consumers, meaning these products could in fact be dangerous to consumer health.
Juul is positioning itself as a protector of minors
The American company has suffered the wrath of the FDA since it began selling the Juul, and has been accused of inciting young people to vape with the use of attractive, fruity e-cig juice flavors. Ever since, the company has tried to restore its image by implementing a Bluetooth security lock on its devices.
Today, Juul Lab claims that it protects minors from becoming addicted to vaping. The company has accused its competitors of creating products that are too accessible to minors. Apparently, Juul has quite a short memory.
For its part, Eonsmoke LLC, one of the competitors, has accused Juul Labs of trying to have a monopoly over the cigarette industry. Most worryingly, this exclusivity allows it to set prices. Eonsmoke LLC also believes that Juul Labs’ seemingly virtuous desire to prevent young people from vaping is hypocritical.
