June 17, 2009 (FinancialWire) — Reynolds American, Inc.’s (NYSE: RAI) R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. said that a jury has ruled in favor of the company in a patent infringement lawsuit brought by Star Scientific, Inc. in the U.S. District Court for Maryland.

According to Reynolds, the jury ruled the patents in question, involving a method of treating tobacco to substantially prevent the formation of tobacco-specific nitrosamines, were invalid and not infringed.

Nitrosamines, which are linked to an increased risk of colon cancer, are produced through various means, such as cooking, that lead to ingestion by humans.  

In a statement, Reynolds said that Star filed the suit on May 23, 2001 and sought “hundreds of millions of dollars in damages” for past alleged infringement and an injunction going forward to prevent future alleged infringement.

Winston-Salem, North Carolina-based R.J. Reynolds Tobacco is a tobacco company in the United States that manufactures cigarettes. The company’s product line includes the Camel, Pall Mall, Winston, Kool, and Doral brands.

FinancialWire(tm) is a fully independent, proprietary news wire service. FinancialWire(tm) is not a press release service, and receives no compensation for its news, opinions or distributions. Further disclosure is at the FinancialWire(tm) web site (http://www.financialwire.net/disclosures.php). Contact FinancialWire(tm) directly via inquiries@financialwire.net.

Free annual reports for companies mentioned in the news are available through the Free Annual Reports Service (http://investrend.ar.wilink.com/?level=279).

Legal Disclaimer:

EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.