One of global giants in the vaping world, JUUL, has recently acquired over a dozen Australian trademarks, as it begins its massive expansion into the Asia Pacific region. The e-cigarette manufacturer surprisingly has the backing of Marlboro, the best-selling cigarette brand in the world (since 1972). Marlboro has an enviable 40% share of the US market, dominating its next seven main competitors.
The specifics
JUUL is looking to cement several pieces of intellectual property when it moves to Australia and parts of Asia. It’s looking to secure its logo, the verb “juuling” and its hexagonal-shaped pods. On top of that, the $50 billion global conglomerate applied to trademark the phrase “make the switch”, which has been the slogan for its international campaigns. The purpose of the slogan is to try and entice smokers to make the switch to vaping alternatives.
However, any Aussie smokers hoping to make the switch soon may have to wait it out a little longer, especially any young adults looking to fulfil their tastes with JUUL. In fact, a spokesperson from JUUL confirmed that the company’s recent activity was not confirmation of an Australian launch. Instead, the company suggested that the recent IP strategy has been to ensure that the brand’s international identity is secured.
Why is JUUL not available in Australia?
If you know a lot about vaping, then you might be surprised to discover that one of the biggest vaping companies isn’t available in Australia. At least not yet. JUUL is available in Britain, France, Canada, the US, Germany, Spain, Italy, Ireland, Indonesia and, more recently, South Korea. The main reason for this is Australia’s regulations regarding nicotine, which is classed as a schedule 7 dangerous poison. This means the retail sale of nicotine is an offence in all states and territories.
On top of this, the Therapeutic Goods Administration has been heavily critical of e-cigarettes and e-cigarette liquids. No e-cigarette liquids have been approved in Australia as a way for smokers to ween themselves off conventional cigarettes. The TGA’s concern was backed up by a recent study in which they found that e-juices promoted as “nicotine-free” contained nicotine and other harmful chemicals.
While it seems that JUUL will eventually make the move to Australia, the company may find some tough opposition in the form of the TGA.
Dan Jones was born and raised in Australia. Dan covers stories related to vaping at Kev’s Vape.
