Juul’s Trade Case Over Copycat E-Cigarettes to Be Considered

The U.S. International Trade Commission said it has instituted an investigation of a complaint filed by Juul Labs Inc. in October.

The case was the first of two Juul filed with trade agency, seeking to block imports of copycat e-cigarettes that it says infringe its patents for the cartridges.

Eonsmoke, one of the 21 companies named in the complaint, has said Juul’s statements that it was acting in the best interest of the public are “misleading and hypocritical.” It accused Juul of unfairly trying to shut competitors out of the market.

The commission typically takes 15 to 18 months to ...