Philip Morris USA has filed two lawsuits in federal court against Internet site operators engaged in the sale of illegally imported cigarettes bearing Philip Morris USA’s trademarks.

The lawsuits allege that the websites are selling cigarettes that have been imported in violation of the Imported Cigarette Compliance Act of 2000, announced Philip Morris in a press release today. In some instances, the defendants have also made false statements about the legality of these sales. The Internet-based cigarette vendors named in this lawsuit fail to comply with applicable tax laws, and the federal Jenkins Act, which requires Internet cigarette retailers to report all sales to the purchaser’s home state taxing authority.
The suits, filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, name as defendants the owners or operators of www.paylessmoke.com and www.cigmall.net, as well as a number of related websites.