Rome Court Bans Illegal Commercial Promotion of E-Cigarettes

Recently, according to a report by sardegnareporter on October 26th, the Rome Court accepted the collective ban request from the Italian Consumer Rights Protection Association, Codici, against PMI Italy's involvement with e-cigarettes. The court ruling has concluded that the commercial information related to the sale of PMI Italy's e-cigarettes and e-cigarette liquids is illegal, and it has put a stop to unlawful commercial advertising practices.

Codici's Secretary-General Ivano Giacometti has requested that Philip Morris Italia remove a series of promotional messages regarding Veeve-cigarette devices and associated Pods charging devices.

These two products are promoted as being safer than traditional tobacco products, highlighting their taste and aroma, as well as their association with an elevated social status and environmental sustainability. Upon entering PMI Italy's product website, consumers are immediately urged to purchase e-cigarettes and tobacco liquids, with discounts being offered. These commercial and advertising messages are also disseminated through major social media and communication channels, especially Facebook and Instagram.

After reviewing the evidence materials, the Rome Court confirmed that the commercial information provided by the sellers of PMI products is illegal, and consequently ordered a ban on the use of such unlawful business propaganda, particularly those promotion activities that explicitly use terms such as "discount" or "promotion".

Meanwhile, the court also ruled that such so-called price information is equally prohibited as it effectively serves as a means to promote sales and showcase the immediate economic benefits consumers can gain from purchasing these devices. The Rome court promptly banned PMI Italy Company from publishing unlawful commercial information on its website and social media channels, and ordered the company to remove such information.

Codici expressed satisfaction with the verdict, stating that they will continue to monitor the e-cigarette industry to protect consumers from ambiguous or potentially misleading commercial messages that do not align with reality.