Limitations regarding the use of quotes
The quotes provided here reflect statements from a specific decision. Accordingly, the International Legal Consortium (ILC) cannot guarantee that an appellate court has not reversed a lower court decision which may influence the applicability or influence of a given quote. All quotes have been selected based on the subjective evaluations undertaken by the ILC meaning that quotes provided here may not accurately or comprehensively represent a given court’s opinion or conclusion, as such quotes may have originally appeared alongside other negative opinions or accompanying facts. Further, some quotes are derived from unofficial English translations, which may alter their original meaning. We emphasize the need to review the original decision and related decisions before authoritatively relying on quotes. Using quotes provided here should not be construed as legal advice and is not intended to be a substitute for legal counsel on any subject matter in any jurisdiction. Please see the full limitations at https://www.tobaccocontrollaws.org/about.
Red PaPaz, a public health NGO, filed a complaint with the Colombian Superintendency of Industry and Commerce (SIC) against Compañía Colombiana de Tabaco S.A.S. The complaint alleged that Compañía Colombiana de Tabaco S.A.S violated the ban on advertising, promotion, and sponsorship of tobacco products by promoting tobacco and nicotine devices such as IQOS, VEEV, and ZYN in shopping malls through displays visible to the public, including minors.
The SIC dismissed the complaint, noting that it was already conducting administrative investigations for possible violations of the consumer protection regime (Law 1480 of 2011). The SIC clarified that its mandate is to protect the public interest and that, if the company is found to have violated the consumer protection laws, then sanctions and administrative orders could followed.