The World Trade Organization upheld Australia’s right to impose plain-package label restrictions on the sale of tobacco products, dealing a blow to the cigarette industry, according to two people close to the situation.
A WTO dispute-settlement panel backed Australia’s argument that the rules it set in 2011 don’t violate trade law because they qualify as a legitimate public health measure, the people said, asking not to be identified because the decision isn’t yet public. The initial notification of the ruling was circulated to the parties of the dispute on May 2, according to a spokesman for the WTO who declined to comment on its content.
Sometimes it's hard to tell from news reports on WTO disputes which stage of the case we are on, but it sounds like this is the interim report, which means it could be still be a while before the final report is circulated to the public.
The result is not surprising, but keep in mind there could be an appeal, which would mean many additional months before we get finality on this issue.
The article also notes:
The decision could usher in a new wave of global tobacco restrictions from other countries that have sought to deter smoking among their citizens through the use of plain packaging rules.
That may be true, but of course each one of these measures could be challenged, and would have to be judged based on its specific provisions.
