Wednesday, March 28 2007
Altadis U.S.A. recently recorded yet another important victory in its ongoing efforts to halt cigar counterfeiting; namely, a felony conviction of a retailer involved in the sale of counterfeit cigars.
Allen Boyd, the Manager of Carolina Cigar Company, 3313 NE 33rd Street, Fort Lauderdale, FL, was arrested on February 7, 2006 by the Broward Sheriff's Office for selling counterfeit cigars. He has now entered a no contest plea to a third degree felony charge of selling counterfeit cigars. This case is but one in a series of actions that have taken place as part of an ongoing aggressive campaign by federal, state and local officials to put a halt to cigar counterfeiting. This case should send an important message to retailers: counterfeiting will not be tolerated. It reconfirms the message Altadis U.S.A. has been conveying to those who produce, distribute and/or sell so-called "Cuban replica" cigars:
Any unauthorized use of Altadis U.S.A.'s trademarks is illegal. Labeling cigars to suggest that they have a Cuban origin does not make them legal. In fact, even cigars from Cuba are "counterfeit" under the laws of the United States since they bear the federally registered U.S. trademarks of Altadis U.S.A. without the authorization of Altadis U.S.A. Individuals who participate in the manufacture, distribution or sale of cigars bearing the trademarks of
Altadis U.S.A. that have not been authorized by Altadis U.S.A. are guilty of counterfeiting and will be held personally liable for their counterfeiting activities.
"This is yet another important victory for Altadis U.S.A., its distributors and consumers, as well as the entire industry," said Theo Folz, President and CEO of Altadis U.S.A. "Altadis U.S.A. remains committed to ensuring that Altadis U.S.A.'s trademarks are only associated with the cigars it produces under the high standards of quality for which they are known. In today's competitive world, protecting brand names and trade designs is critical, particularly those that have established a loyal following like Montecristo and our other famous brands." £
