Tobacco companies are set to take legal action over laws banning certain words and even brand names from cigarette packets.

Date: 08/03/01

Manufactuers including Japan Tobacco and Austria Tabak are still awaiting confirmation that the deal struck last week between ministers and MEPs includes trademarks in its ban on the use of words such as 'light', 'ultra-light', 'mild', and 'low-tar'. The final text - to be published tomorrow (Friday 9) - says such words can mislead consumers over the health damage caused by cigarettes, and that any "texts, names, trademarks and figurative or other signs" in which they appear will be outlawed.