| Four firms successfully argued Britain should not pre-empt the European Union's July 2001 deadline for the end of tobacco advertising particularly as the ban has yet to be fully tested in the European Court of Justice.
The High Court said if the ban was implemented early in Britain and the European challenge to it then succeeded damages would not provide adequate compensation for the companies -- British American Tobacco Plc, Gallaher Group Plc, Imperial Tobacco Group Plc, and Rothmans UK.
The hearing was expected to last two days with judgment reserved at the conclusion.
|
