British American Tobacco Sues Altria and Philip Morris for E-Cigarette Patent Infringement

British American Tobacco (NYSE: BTI) is suing two of its longtime rivals, Altria Group (NYSE: MO) and Philip Morris International (NYSE: PM), for copyright infringement.

In the lawsuit filed in a Virginia federal court on Thursday, British American alleges that certain features of IQOS, a smoking device made by Philip Morris and distributed in the U.S. by Altria, infringe on its patents. British American makes a similar product called Glo, which, like IQOS, heats tobacco rather than burning it.

British American says it has also filed a similar complaint with the International Trade Commission. 

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Source Fool.com