Plain packaging decree was adopted by Uruguay

By Pittaluga Abogados

The regulation establishes a generic design for cigarette boxes: brown color, elimination of trademarks on the inside or outside of packs, graphic health warnings covering 80 percent of the surface areas and a standard size and font.

Great Britain, Ireland, France and Australia stand out among the countries that already implement this measure, with Uruguay being the first Latin American country to do so.

Plain packaging policies are thought as a growing threat to trademark rights. In 2010, multinational tobacco company Philip Morris International filed a complaint against Uruguay, arguing that the country’s anti-smoking legislation devalued its cigarette trademarks and investments in the country.