Tobacco Asia

Volume 20, Number 2

Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/680166

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 58 of 67

tobaccoasia 59 CLOSING NEWS 卷尾新闻 that seeks to force them not to have any movies with tobacco imagery rated G, PG, or PG-13. The lawsuit was filed against the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), the National Association of Theatre Owners, Disney, Paramount, Sony, Universal, and Warner Bros. and alleges the industry's film-ratings practices amount to negligence, misrep- resentation, and breach of duty. The litigation addresses a ratings system that came about in the 1960s, when MPAA's then-president, Jack Valenti, aimed to take Hollywood from an era of morality codes to self-regulation. MPAA flagged such films as Dumb and Dumber To, Transformers: Age of Extinction, and Iron Man 3 as among those featuring tobacco-related imagery that are being recommended for young audiences. The Hollywood defendants aim to strike down the lawsuit they see as an impingement of their First Amendment- protected rights on a matter of public interest. According to the court papers filed by the defendants, the lawsuit "is a misguided attempt to upend basic tort principles and core First Amendment protections to force the Classification and Rating Administration ("CARA") — the movie ratings body that MPAA and NATO jointly operate — to change the opinions it expresses through its movie ratings system." "Plaintiff alleges that he purchased tickets for his children to see 10 PG-13 rated movies over the course of four years that contained tobacco imagery, including two movies in the Hobbit trilogy," they state in the brief. "Clearly, Plaintiff was not relying on the PG-13 rating as representing the absence of tobacco imagery after even one movie, much less 10." Canada Ottawa to Ban Menthol The federal government of Canada has served notice it is moving to ban the sale of menthol cigarettes because of their appeal to young and first-time smokers. The process originates in 2009, when the former conservative government banned most flavored tobacco products. At the time, menthol cigarettes were exempted, but this is about to change. "By banning menthol flavoring, which is shown to be popular amongst those under 25, we can help steer youth away from experimenting with tobacco in the first place," said health minister Jane Philpott in a news release. The notice from the health department says a smoking survey in 2012 found that 37% of young smokers reported smoking a menthol cigarette in the previous 30 days. In 2014, menthol tobacco products made up almost 5% of the total tobacco market, with menthol cigarettes making up 98% of sales. Five provinces — Alberta, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia — already ban menthol cigarettes and Prince Edward Island has legislation pending. Rob Cunningham of the Canadian Cancer Society says menthol serves no other purpose than to mask the harsh taste of tobacco for new smokers. "There's absolutely no reason why an addictive, cancer-causing product such as cigarettes should have flavoring to make it taste better. And so a ban on menthol is absolutely the right thing to do." IHMA Welcomes UN Report The trade body for the global hologram industry has welcomed a new United Nations report that reaffirms the technology's important role in anti-coun- terfeiting. The UN Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI) research report "Ensuring Supply Chain Security: The Role of Anti-Counterfeiting Technologies" reflects the agency's "first effort" in analyzing the impact of anti-counterfeiting technologies on government initiatives to secure legitimate product supply chains. It clearly acknowledges how technologies such as holograms remain important weapons in tackling counterfeiting and securing product authentication in global supply chains. The International Hologram Manufacturers Association (IHMA) says the report is a sobering reminder that the war on counterfeiting remains far from won and is another 'timely' wake-up call for those desperate to protect brands and profits around the world. Welcoming the report, IHMA general secretary Dr Mark Deakes, said: "This is important and timely insight, which throws the spotlight on the massive issue of counterfeiting. It reminds us of the need for continued investment in technologies and added value track and trace solutions if counterfeiting in global hotspots such as China, India, and Eastern Europe are ever to be checked, let alone stopped. "Brand owners and those authorities responsible for legislation will also welcome this report. "More needs to be done – and quickly – to begin to deal with the problem and this might include in- creased integration of holograms as part of brand protection strategies." Security holograms on items like liquor bottles, tobacco and luxury merchandise will confirm quality and lead to illicit items being seized and destroyed. The use of well-designed and properly deployed authentication solutions, as advocated in ISO's 12931 standard, on authentication solutions, enables examiners to verify the authenticity of a legitimate product, differentiating it from the counterfeits coming out of China. Even those that carry a 'fake' authentication feature can be distinguished from the genuine item if that item carries a carefully thought-out authentication solution. www.ihma.org Mark Deakes, IHMA general secretary

Articles in this issue

Links on this page

Archives of this issue

view archives of Tobacco Asia - Volume 20, Number 2