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Imperial Tobacco, Japan Tobacco settle patent infringement

Reuters - UK Focus

LONDON, Dec (Shanghai: 600875.SS - news) 4 (Reuters) - Fontem Ventures, a unit of Imperial Tobacco Group, said on Friday that it entered into a license agreement with Japan Tobacco International that settles patent infringement lawsuits concerning e-cigarette technology.

Under the terms of the agreement, Fontem has granted Japan Tobacco a global license to certain patents for e-cigarettes, which are metal tubes that heat nicotine-laced liquid into an inhalable vapour.

The deal with Japan Tobacco (Other OTC: JAPAF - news) follows two similar agreements Fontem announced last month, with the companies behind the NJOY, 21st Century Smoke and Vapin Plus brand e-cigarettes.

Together, these deals settle three of eight patent infringement cases Imperial filed in the United States in March 2014.

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The lawsuits followed Imperial's 2013 acquisition of global e-cigarette patents from Hong Kong-based Dragonite International, whose co-founder Hon Lik, is credited with inventing the e-cigarette.

Financial terms were not disclosed.

(Reporting by Martinne Geller. Editing by Jane Merriman)