Gumipod Sues Altria On! Nicotine Pouch For Theft Of Proprietary Package

British company Gumipod accuses Altria and its subsidiaries of stealing trade secrets and applying its patented packaging technology to “On!” nicotine pouche.

Gumipod stated that after signing a confidentiality agreement in 2018, it provided samples and production specifications to Altria, but Altria subsequently announced a suspension of cooperation and launched the “On!” nicotine pouche product in 2019. In 2022, Gumipod discovered from internal documents of the technology has been used without authorization. The plaintiff requests a jury trial and demands injunctive relief, damages, and attorney fees.

What are highlights:

1. Plaintiff: Gumipod Group, Ltd., UK
2. Defendant: Altria Group, Inc. and three subsidiaries.
3. Reason for dispute: After signing a confidentiality agreement in 2018, Gumipod provided samples and specifications; Altria announced the suspension of cooperation, but launched the “On!” nicotine pouche in 2019.
4. Core allegations: infringement of trade secrets, breach of contract, unjust enrichment, and commercial conspiracy.
5. Requires: Stop infringement, compensate for losses and punitive damages, pay lawyer fees, permanent injunction.

DankSmoke worldview team fast news

On August 22, 2025, according to documents released by the Federal District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, Gumipod Group, Ltd., headquartered in London, UK, has filed a federal lawsuit against tobacco company Altria Group, Inc. and several of its subsidiaries. The lawsuit accuses Altria of stealing its trade secrets for packaging its popular “On!” brand nicotine pouch products.
In the lawsuit, Gumipod listed the following defendants: Altria Group Corporation itself, as well as its three subsidiaries – Altria Client Services LLC, Helix Innovations LLC, believed to be the owner of the “On!” brand, and Altria Group Distribution Company.
According to the lawsuit, Gumipod was founded by its founder Duval Middleton in 2011 and has developed an innovative “plastic capsule style chewing gum container” with a built-in recycling bin, making it convenient for consumers to dispose of chewed gum at any time.
In August 2018, Emily Ornelas, then a procurement analyst at Altria, contacted its founder Middleton through the Gumipod website. Subsequently, the then purchasing manager of Altria, Kwazna Downs, communicated with Middleton through Facebook and made it clear that their interest in this technology was for “nicotine products derived from oral tobacco,” not for chewing gum.
To advance the discussion, both parties signed a Mutual Confidentiality Agreement (MCA). The agreement contains a key clause that the confidentiality obligation for trade secrets will remain in effect as long as the protection of the trade secret is still available. Afterwards, Gumipod provided 10 product samples and detailed production specifications to Altria. In October 2018, Altria suddenly unilaterally notified Gumipod that the project had been “put on hold”.
The lawsuit points out that in June 2019, less than a year later, Altria publicly acquired and re launched the “On!” nicotine pouch product. Gumipod claims that Middleton did not discover the theft by Altria until August 24, 2022. At that time, a former Gumipod employee named Julian Hogan forwarded the marketing documents he received from Altria regarding the “On!” product to Middleton. Gumipod believed that the design and marketing plan of On! Were suspected of directly using its technological achievements.

At the legal level, Gumipod has filed five charges, including violation of federal and Virginia trade secret protection laws, breach of contract, unjust enrichment, and commercial conspiracy. The plaintiff requests a jury trial and seeks a court order for Altria to:

1. Ochia and its subsidiaries immediately cease the use and sale of products suspected of infringement;
2. The actual compensation and punitive damages amount are not yet clear and will be determined by the jury in the trial;
3. Pay lawyer fees and litigation costs;
4. Permanent injunction, prohibiting the defendant from continuing to use Gumipod’s trade secrets and technological achievements.

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