A US Nicotine Pouch Brand Sued Imperial Tobacco For Trademark Infringement, Demanding The Cancellation Of The ZONE Trademark And Compensation

A US nicotine pouch brand sued Imperial Tobacco for trademark infringement, demanding the cancellation of the "ZONE" trademark and compensation

A synthetic nicotine pouch brand in the United States has filed a trademark infringement lawsuit against a subsidiary of Imperial Tobacco, alleging that "ZONE" infringed its brand "2ONE®" and demanded the cancellation of the trademark and compensation.

Recently, the official website of 2ONE Labs, a synthetic nicotine pouch brand in the United States, announced that it and its distributor Performance Plus Marketing have filed a trademark infringement lawsuit and a preliminary injunction application against two subsidiaries of Imperial Tobacco (Imperial Brands PLC), ITG Brands, LLC and Imperial Tobacco Limited, in a federal court in California. The plaintiff accused the company of fraud.

The defendant ITG Brands, LLC, headquartered in North Carolina, is the third largest tobacco manufacturer and distributor in the United States and an independent subsidiary of Imperial.

The lawsuit accuses Imperial's "ZONE" product of infringing the plaintiff's 2ONE® nicotine pouch brand and claims that the infringement was intentional. The plaintiff also seeks compensation and requests the cancellation of the "ZONE" trademark, claiming that the trademark was obtained fraudulently through its subsidiaries.

Imperial Nicotine Pouch Brand "ZONE"

2ONE Labs Nicotine Pouch Brand "2ONE"

2ONE claims that over the past five years, 2ONE® brand products have been sold in thousands of convenience stores, grocery stores and tobacco shops across the United States. However, in 2024, Imperial launched a competing product with a similar name, "ZONE". The lawsuit alleges that Imperial falsely claimed the legitimacy of the trademark by claiming early use of the "ZONE" trademark in commerce.

Vincent Schuman, founder of 2ONE Labs, said,

"Since Imperial launched 'ZONE' in 2024, there have been multiple incidents of consumer confusion, and we are committed to fighting this blatant infringement, no matter how large the other company is."

2ONE and Performance seek to cancel the defendant's trademark, recover all profits, and obtain punitive damages.