MSIntelligence Files Lawsuit Against Philip Morris International (PMI)

NEW YORK – December 12, 2020 – MSIntelligence today announced that it has filed a lawsuit for its unlawful use of his intellectual property; its unfair competition; its misappropriation of trade secrets and methodologies; its harassment and reputational harm; and its unjust enrichment against Philip Morris International (NYSE: PM). The US lawsuit, filed November 2nd, 2020 in Supreme Court of the State of New York County of New York, alleges infringement of several damages claiming the compensatory amount of not less than $40,000,000. 
The main object of the current proceedings is to demonstrate and prove the spoliation by PMI of the intellectual property of MSI as well as the development of unfair competition. Indeed, although having fully developed, financed and made evolve methodologies and tools allowing, among other things, the evaluation of illicit tobacco products, MSI was gradually dispossessed for the sole benefit of PMI. In addition, and in defiance of its own partnership agreements, PMI has encouraged unfair competition between MSI and other agencies.
A reminder of the chronology and diversity of the missions carried out for PMI by MSI and its CEO, Raoul Setrouk, helps to better understand the merits of MSI's requests. We, therefore, decided to make public a certain number of facts to support our complaint, which consequently will shed new light on the tobacco industry practices and methods.

About MSIntelligence

Since 2002 MSIntelligence (MSI) is an independent agency which provides market research in the field of tobacco. 
We have designed and deployed tools and methodologies with the objective of identifying and quantifying tobacco products that have not been subject to taxation in the country or geographic area studied. These studies thus make it possible to assess the extent of certain phenomena such as illicit trade, border flows or even counterfeiting.
Over time, the results of our surveys have been taken up and disseminated to all the organizations and authorities in charge of assessing and combating this illicit market, and they constitute to this day the main basis of this Evaluation.
Since the inception of our surveys, MSI has produced more than 1,000 studies in more than 100 countries across all continents.

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Contact:
MSINTELLIGENCE SARL
Raoul Setrouk, CEO
raoul.setrouk@msintelligence.com 

MSIntelligence Attorney’s office
POLLOCK COHEN LLP
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New York, NY 10006 
nyc@pollockcohen.com