Lorillard Units Seek To Protect BLU ECIGS Trademarks, Sues Zippo

(RTTNews) - Cigarette maker Lorillard, Inc. (LO) Wednesday said two of its electronic cigarette subsidiary companies, Cygnet UK Trading Limited and Lorillard Technologies, Inc. d/b/a blu eCigs, have filed for an injunction and declarations with the High Court of Justice in London, England to protect their BLU ECIGS trademarks in the United Kingdom and throughout the rest of Europe.

The injunction seeks to restrain Zippo Manufacturing Co. from threatening Lorillard and others with proceedings in the UK for alleged infringements of Zippo's trademarks.

The declarations seek to validate Lorillard's rights to market and sell their products throughout Europe under the BLU ECIGS brands.

Zippo recently made public threats against Lorillard's UK subsidiary Cygnet that its use of the BLU ECIGS brand infringes Zippo's trademark rights.

In the filing, Lorillard asks that Zippo be ordered to stop repeating these threats and pay significant damages for its predatory conduct.

They also ask for the Court's declaration that their current use of the BLU ECIGS trademarks does not infringe Zippo's overstated claim of intellectual property rights.

Lorillard does not anticipate a Court ruling from the filing until late 2015 and expects to conduct the BLU ECIGS electronic cigarette business as usual into the future.

LO closed down 0.3 percent on the NYSE at $59.37.