煙草在線據路透社報道編譯　　澳大利亞政府炮轟英美煙草公司在銷售到歐洲的煙盒上使用袋鼠的形象，使在平裝法的合法戰爭開始之前，加劇了對大煙草公司的敵對態度。

　　總干事尼古拉·羅克松，作為衛生部長，領導了推出迫使以橄欖綠平裝銷售煙草產品的法律的活動，他在1月6日星期五說，使用澳大利亞的偶像來銷售卷煙令人很憤怒。

　　類似于在澳大利亞看到的道路警示牌的袋鼠的形象，和“澳大利亞最愛”的短語出現在法國出售的溫菲爾德品牌的煙包上。

　　“在澳大利亞，從12月起所有卷煙都采取平裝后，這種狡猾的營銷策略將很快沒有施展的地方了，”羅克松在1月6日周五說。

　　英美煙草、帝國煙草和菲莫已經在高級法院各自發起了針對該法律的訴訟，聲稱法律侵犯了他們的商標權。

　　這個世界首個強硬的法案，將在2012年生效，受到考慮采取類似舉措的歐洲、加拿大和新西蘭各國政府的密切關注。

　　“澳大利亞人不喜歡使用我們的偶像，即我們的袋鼠和我們健康的生活方式，以任何方式與這些致命的產品聯系起來，”禁煙機構Quit的執行董事菲奧娜·沙爾基說。

　　行業分析師說，煙草公司擔心平裝可能蔓延到重要的新興市場上，如巴西、俄羅斯、印尼，并危及到在這些地方的增長。

　　法律專家預測，法律訴訟與WTO的挑戰都將失敗，因為知識產權協議給予政府通過保護公眾健康的法律的權利。

　　盡管吸煙率普遍在下降，但是在2009年，澳大利亞的煙草市場總收入約為100億美元，高于2008年的83億美元。該國每年銷售大約220億支卷煙。

Australia fumes over kangaroo cigarette packs

Reuters
Jan 12, 2012

　　Australia's government has lambasted British and American Tobacco for using the image of a kangaroo on packets of cigarettes sold in Europe, ramping up hostilities with Big Tobacco ahead of a legal battle over plain-packaging laws.

　　Attorney-General Nicola Roxon, who as Health Minister led the drive to introduce laws forcing tobacco products to be sold in plain, olive green packs, said on Friday that the use of the Australian icon to sell cigarettes was outrageous.

　　The image of a kangaroo, similar to road warning signs seen in Australia, with the phrase "An Australian Favourite" appears on packets of Winfield cigarettes being sold in France.

　　"This kind of weaselly marketing tactic will soon have no place here in Australia when all cigarettes will be in plain packaging from December," Roxon said on Friday.

　　BAT, Imperial Tobacco and Philip Morris have launched separate High Court challenges against the laws, saying they infringe their trademark rights.

　　The tough, world-first legislation which comes into force in 2012 is being closely watched by governments considering similar moves in Europe, Canada and New Zealand.

　　"Australians don't like the use of our icons, our kangaroos and our healthy lifestyle, to be associated in any way with these deadly products," said Fiona Sharkie, executive director of anti-smoking agency Quit.

　　Industry analysts say tobacco companies are worried that plain packaging could spread to important emerging markets like Brazil, Russia and Indonesia, and threaten growth there.

　　Legal experts have predicted both legal and WTO challenges will fail because intellectual property rights agreements give governments the right to pass laws to protect public health.

　　Australia's tobacco market generated total revenues of about A$10 billion in 2009, up from A$8.3 billion in 2008, although smoking generally has been in decline. About 22 billion cigarettes are sold in the country each year.