Altria Wins Unanimous Decision in Patent Validity Dispute Against JUUL

Paul, Weiss won a significant patent victory on behalf of Altria Group, Inc., in an ongoing dispute with competitor Juul Labs, Inc., over patents Altria acquired as part of a settlement with another party. 

In 2023, following Altria’s strategic settlement of patent litigation brought by Fuma, Altria acquired the asserted Fuma patents; at the time, Jeffrey Osterman advised Altria on the patents’ purchase and settlement with Fuma. In November 2023, Juul initiated proceedings before the U.S. Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) seeking to invalidate the patents Altria had acquired via the settlement.

In May 2024, the PTAB made a preliminary finding that the patents may be invalid. But Paul, Weiss defended the validity of the patents through briefing, expert testimony and oral argument, and was able to convince the PTAB otherwise. The PTAB issued two unanimous decisions in favor of Altria on the acquired patents, upholding the validity of all challenged claims and rejecting all of Juul’s arguments. 

The outcome provides strong strategic positioning for Altria in its broader conflict with Juul.

The Paul, Weiss team included litigation partners Anish Desai, Elizabeth Weiswasser, Sutton Ansley and Christopher Pepe and counsel Matthew Sieger and Ian Moore.