烟草在线据路透社报道编译　　澳大利亚政府炮轰英美烟草公司在销售到欧洲的烟盒上使用袋鼠的形象，使在平装法的合法战争开始之前，加剧了对大烟草公司的敌对态度。

　　总干事尼古拉·罗克松，作为卫生部长，领导了推出迫使以橄榄绿平装销售烟草产品的法律的活动，他在1月6日星期五说，使用澳大利亚的偶像来销售卷烟令人很愤怒。

　　类似于在澳大利亚看到的道路警示牌的袋鼠的形象，和“澳大利亚最爱”的短语出现在法国出售的温菲尔德品牌的烟包上。

　　“在澳大利亚，从12月起所有卷烟都采取平装后，这种狡猾的营销策略将很快没有施展的地方了，”罗克松在1月6日周五说。

　　英美烟草、帝国烟草和菲莫已经在高级法院各自发起了针对该法律的诉讼，声称法律侵犯了他们的商标权。

　　这个世界首个强硬的法案，将在2012年生效，受到考虑采取类似举措的欧洲、加拿大和新西兰各国政府的密切关注。

　　“澳大利亚人不喜欢使用我们的偶像，即我们的袋鼠和我们健康的生活方式，以任何方式与这些致命的产品联系起来，”禁烟机构Quit的执行董事菲奥娜·沙尔基说。

　　行业分析师说，烟草公司担心平装可能蔓延到重要的新兴市场上，如巴西、俄罗斯、印尼，并危及到在这些地方的增长。

　　法律专家预测，法律诉讼与WTO的挑战都将失败，因为知识产权协议给予政府通过保护公众健康的法律的权利。

　　尽管吸烟率普遍在下降，但是在2009年，澳大利亚的烟草市场总收入约为100亿美元，高于2008年的83亿美元。该国每年销售大约220亿支卷烟。

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.