WTO Tobacco Ruling Opens Door to New Plain-Packaging Laws
- Decision could lead other countries to adopt similar measures
- Tobacco companies warn plain packs raise counterfeit risk
Photographer: Ryan Pierse/Getty Images
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The World Trade Organization upheld Australia’s right to require cigarettes to be sold in plain packs without any logos in a landmark case that could usher in a new wave of global tobacco restrictions.
A panel of dispute-settlement experts backed the legality of Australia’s 2011 measure on Thursday. Australia requires tobacco companies to sell their products in drab, brown cardboard packages with standardized fonts.