A U.S. trade tribunal sided with Juul Labs on Wednesday and ordered a ban on imports of vaping devices and cartridges made by Altria’s NJOY – least some of which are made in China and Malaysia – in a patent dispute over e-cigarette technology.
The U.S. International Trade Commission found that NJOY’s ACE devices violated Juul Labs’ patent rights in vaporizer innovations. As a result, an import ban will take effect in 60 days unless the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative in President Donald Trump’s new administration overturns it for public policy reasons.
Juul’s chief legal officer Tyler Mace said the company was pleased with the decision to “protect our U.S.-developed innovations against those who seek to import copycat products, principally from China,” Reuters reports.
Richmond, Virginia-based Altria once held a 35% stake in Juul Labs, which it purchased for $12.8 billion in 2018. Altria exited the agreement in 2023, shortly before announcing its acquisition of NJOY for around $2.75 billion.
Washington, D.C.-based Juul Labs then sued Altria for patent infringement at the ITC in 2023. Altria countered with an ITC patent complaint against Juul later that year over its devices and pods. That case is still ongoing.
An ITC judge preliminarily determined in August that Altria’s devices infringed Juul Labs’ patents and should be banned. The full commission affirmed the decision on Wednesday.
Atria reported an adjusted EPS of $5.12, marking a 3.4% annual increase for 2024. However, its 2025 guidance of $5.22 to $5.37 signals slower growth, with the midpoint falling short of Wall Street expectations.
