4 / 42
12
TOBACCO BUSINESS INTERNATIONAL
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2015
NEWS & TRENDS
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBEr 2015
The industry gathered in Broomfield,
Colorado in August for the Boulder-
based Smoker Friendly’s Rocky Moun-
tain Cigar Festival at the Omni Interlock-
en Resort. The Rocky Mountain Cigar
Festival, now in its sixth year, has be-
come known as the premier festival of
its kind in the Rocky Mountain Region.
Created to cater to the niche audi-
ence within the premium cigar indus-
try, the Rocky Mountain Cigar Festival
showcased over 100 vendors within
the premium cigar, craft beer, micro-
distillery, fine wines and lifestyle
arenas. Premium cigar vendors and
brands included Padrón, Perdomo,
Drew Estate, La Flor Dominicana, Ash-
ton, San Cristobal, Nat Sherman, AVO,
Villiger, Rocky Patel, Gurkha, AJ Fer-
nandez, JM Dominican, Veritas, Core
Zero, Cesar Cigars, Falto Cigars and
many more.
For information about next year’s fes-
tival, visit
rmcigarfestival.com.
Colorado Cigar Festival Draws Thousands
Smoker Friendly event draws thousands
North Atlantic Trading Company (NATC)’s attorneys have successfully executed seizure
orders on merchants and wholesalers found to be selling counterfeit Zig-Zag cigarette
paper products. The seizure orders are part of a strategy of zero tolerance against coun-
terfeit goods imported into the U.S., says Marcella Ballard, an intellectual property partner
at the law firm Venable LLP.
“North Atlantic takes intellectual property infringement seriously and will prosecute
known violators to the fullest extent of the law,” she says. “We
have obtained three successful ex parte seizure orders to con-
duct successful raids on counterfeiters over the past year and
will continue to actively enforce anti-counterfeiting measures
against any and all violators.”
Such efforts against counterfeit Zig-Zag products in the
past have resulted in the seizure of businesses, significant
multi-million dollar judgments, and criminal liability with fed-
eral prison sentences and deportation.
Zig-Zag cigarette paper products are a popular brand of
rolling papers that originated in France. The papers, which
come in five sizes, are made largely from flax, and use natural
gum Arabic. They are imported and distributed in the United
States and Canada by North Atlantic Trading Company.
Zig-Zag Fights Counterfeiting
The popular rolling paper brand’s manufacturing is using seizure or-
ders to thwart counterfeiters.