The French subsidiary of cigarette manufacturer Philip Morris and its former president Jeanne Pollès were sentenced by the Paris Criminal Court to fines of 500,000 euros and 50,000 euros respectively for “direct advertising or propaganda” in favor of tobacco products and vaping.
According to the decision obtained on Thursday, the website dedicated to the IQOS heated tobacco device, marketed by Philip Morris, presents statements "which have the aim or effect of promoting both the quality and safety of the IQOS device, under the cover of an alleged reduction in the risks linked to the consumption of scientifically validated tobacco."
"This promotion (...) is direct advertising for this device which inevitably refers to the tobacco product that it allows to be consumed. It therefore constitutes illicit indirect advertising," the decision continues.
In addition, "the publication of April 13, 2023 associates tobacco produced by the Philip Morris company with responsible management of forest resources, which is also prohibited."
"In this case, the offences committed were knowingly committed by a company belonging to the largest cigarette group in the world and its president, who were fully advised and informed of the provisions in force, and who made major investments to try to circumvent the legislation in force over a prevention period of one and a half years," the court deplores.
"This attitude is based on pure economic calculation, which is profitable given the increase in the use of the IQOS device over the last five years," he continues.
The fines also take into account a first conviction in 2011 "for acts of direct advertising or propaganda in favor of tobacco or its products."
The group and its former president - now retired - were sued by the National Committee Against Smoking (CNCT), a French anti-smoking association to which they will have to jointly pay 50,000 euros in damages and interest in addition to 5,000 euros each in legal costs.
The CNCT has already had the company convicted on a similar charge: in mid-2024, Philip Morris France was fined €500,000 and Philip Morris Products €400,000 during an appeal trial. The group has appealed this decision to the Court of Cassation.
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