Philip Morris International's (PM) Philip Morris Limited said along with Philip Morris Products S.A. and Maurice Timony, an independent retailer from Donegal, it will file a joint lawsuit seeking to overturn the ban on display of tobacco products at retail stores in Ireland. The goal of the lawsuit is to allow licensed tobacconists and retailers to display tobacco products in their stores.
The lawsuit will be filed before the High Court in Dublin on October 6, 2009. Plaintiffs will be challenging the tobacco display ban on the grounds that it severely restricts their ability to provide trade and services thus violating Irish constitutional law and EU law.
The tobacco display ban came into effect in Ireland on July 1, 2009. Outside Ireland, a display ban exists in Iceland as well as some provinces of Canada.
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