Four tobacco companies plan action against UK government over standard packaging

Tobacco companies have launched a multi-billion pound legal claim against the UK government for losses as a result of a law that will require them to sell their cigarettes in plain packaging.

The companies claim that forcing them to use unbranded packages amounts to deprivation of highly valuable intellectual property. They say that the law, which is expected to come into force in May 2016, amounts to illegal seizure of their trademarks by the state.

Philip Morris International and British American Tobacco have filed papers at the High Court in London, and Imperial Tobacco and Japan Tobacco International have signalled that they intend to follow suit. …