On Friday, April 23, 1999, the lights went out in Times Square—and in countless locations coast to coast—for tobacco advertising. That was the date by which the largest tobacco companies in the country agreed to ensure all cigarette advertisements were removed from billboards, transit locations, malls, stadiums, arenas and just about every other public place, in accordance with a settlement agreement involving most every state and territory in the United States.
The so-called Master Settlement Agreement resolved lawsuits between the country's largest tobacco companies and more than 50 state and territorial attorneys general. Among its principal features was the imposition of significant restrictions on the marketing activities employed by tobacco companies, particularly any advertising and promotion practices that might target or appeal to young people.
Read The Legal Intelligencer article by Patrick Smith and Deanna Lucci on the Duane Morris website.
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