A Victory for Altadis and Cigar Consumers

A Florida jury returned a guilty verdict on Wednesday, October 1, 2008 in State of Florida v. James David Joiner, pending in the Circuit Court of the Seventeenth Judicial Circuit, Broward County, Florida. The jury found the defendant had violated the federally registered U.S. trademarks of Altadis U.S.A. by vending goods with counterfeit trademarks. After the jury’s verdict was announced, the defendant was immediately remanded into custody and is currently in county jail awaiting sentencing.

According to Altadis, “It is also a major victory for our consumers, because it protects the consumer from unknowingly purchasing counterfeit and inferior products. Altadis U.S.A. remains committed to ensuring that the company’s trademarks are only associated with the cigars it produces under the high standards of quality for which they are known."

UPDATE: On October 6, a Florida judge sentenced James David Joiner, who had been found guilty of vending goods with counterfeit trademarks, to 364 days in Broward County Jail and five years probation. Joiner was also ordered to pay a fine, pay restitution to Altadis U.S.A., and to pay the cost of prosecution and of probationary supervision.