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BAT and PMI Announce Global Patent Settlement

PRESS RELEASE

02 FEBRUARY 2024

BAT and PMI Announce Global Patent Settlement

BAT is pleased to announce that it has reached a global settlement with Philip Morris International Inc (PMI) that resolves all ongoing patent infringement litigation between the parties related to our heated tobacco and vapour products.

Patent protection is a critical component of the innovation driving BAT’s strategies and the company welcomes this settlement as the best path forward for its business plans.

The settlement includes non-monetary provisions between BAT and PMI that resolve all ongoing global patent infringement litigation, encompassing all related injunctions and exclusion orders, and prevents future claims against current heated tobacco and vapour products. The settlement also allows each party to innovate and introduce product iterations. BAT is committed to continued innovation in reduced risk products to further advance Tobacco Harm Reduction.

Tadeu Marroco, Chief Executive of BAT, said:
“This agreement is an important step forward for BAT and all our stakeholders. Having already built two £1bn brands in Vuse and glo, the potential for their continued impact on Tobacco Harm Reduction is clear. I am delighted that this settlement will allow BAT to focus on developing innovative solutions that provide adult consumers with a greater choice of reduced risk products in support of our A Better Tomorrow purpose. By doing so, we will help build a smokeless world for the benefit of consumers, investors and society as a whole.”

A summary of the settlement between the parties will be available on the website of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in our Form 6K filing to be filed today. Our SEC filings are available here  .

Enquiries

 

Media Centre
+44 (0) 20 7845 2888 (24 hours)  | @BATplc 

Investor Relations
Victoria Buxton: +44 (0)20 7845 2012
Amy Chamberlain: +44 (0)20 7845 1124
Yetunde Ibe: +44 (0)20 7845 1095
John Harney: +44 (0)20 7845 1263
Jane Henderson: +44 (0)20 7845 1117
 

Forward-looking statements

 

This release contains certain forward-looking statements, including "forward-looking" statements made within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are often, but not always, made through the use of words or phrases such as "believe," "anticipate," "could," "may," "would," "should," "intend," "plan," "potential," "predict," "will," "expect," "estimate," "project," "positioned," "strategy," "outlook", "target" and similar expressions. These include statements regarding our customer target ambition, New Categories revenue targets and our ESG targets.

All such forward-looking statements involve estimates and assumptions that are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors. It is believed that the expectations reflected in this release are reasonable but they may be affected by a wide range of variables that could cause actual results to differ materially from those currently anticipated. A review of the reasons why actual results and developments may differ materially from the expectations disclosed or implied within forward-looking statements can be found by referring to the information contained under the headings “Cautionary Statement” and "Group Principal Risks " in the 2022 Annual Report and Form 20-F of British American Tobacco p.l.c. (BAT).

Additional information concerning these and other factors can be found in BAT's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), including the Annual Report on Form 20-F and Current Reports on Form 6-K, which may be obtained free of charge at the SEC's website, http://www.sec.gov and BAT’s Annual Reports, which may be obtained free of charge from the BAT website www.bat.com.

Past performance is no guide to future performance and persons needing advice should consult an independent financial adviser. The forward-looking statements reflect knowledge and information available at the date of preparation of this release and BAT undertakes no obligation to update or revise these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements.