Philip Morris spokesperson Brendan McCormick says that the company had made up its mind to remove the label before the ruling, and that some light cigarette packages are already available without the label. The decision to remove the label was prompted by a 2001 Institute of Medicine report on so-called reduced-risk tobacco products, according to Philip Morris.

Despite research showing that light cigarette smokers inhale about the same amount of tar and nicotine as regular-brand smokers, many smokers still believe that the light label implies a healthier product, as a recent study by researchers at the University of California, San Diego suggests (http://www.hbns.org/news/strategy12-04-02.cfm).

The class-action lawsuit, filed against Philip Morris on behalf of 1 million Illinois smokers, claimed that the company promoted its light cigarettes as a less harmful alternative to regular cigarettes, despite knowing about research to the contrary.

"There is little controversy about whether the tobacco companies' conduct in selling 'light' cigarettes has been deceptive, and it seems very probable that they will have to pay back consumers in several states," said Mark Gottlieb, an attorney for the Tobacco Products Liability Project.

To read the IOM report on reduced risk tobacco products, go to http://search.nap.edu/openbook/0309072824/html/.