Juul Labs, maker of the popular Juul e-cigarette, is suing two New Hampshire convenience stores for allegedly selling counterfeit vaping devices.
According to court paperwork, a representative of the California-based company purchased a counterfeit Juul device at the Salem Vape and Smoke Shop last August.
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Two weeks later, the representative also purchased a counterfeit Juul e-cigarette at the Smokers Shop II store in Concord. Both convenience stores are owned by Salam Murshed, who is the named defendant in the civil suit.
“Defendant has represented, and continues to represent, that Defendant’s goods are genuine JUUL® Products when they are in fact not genuine,” the company writes in court paperwork.
After issuing cease and desist letters, Juul alleges the convenience stores continued to sell the counterfeit products as recently as February of this year.
The company is suing for unspecified damages in federal court.
It isn’t clear if the counterfeit products posed any greater risk to the public than Juul’s branded nicotine vaping device.
Juul’s popularity with teenagers led to an FDA investigation over its marketing practices.
The company says it provides an alternative to cigarettes for adults.
