New design cleared for purchase and sale by retailers
, /PRNewswire/ — STIIIZY announced today that U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has ruled that the company’s redesigned cartridges do not infringe PAX Lab’s patents, meaning they are not subject a previous patent determination by the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC).
The CBP ruling, issued on May 15, 2026, clears the way for retailers to continue to purchase and sell the new cartridges. STIIIZY redesigned the cartridges due to a January 2026 decision by ITC that certain discontinued Stiiizy vape products infringed U.S. patents owned by PAX Labs. It also found that certain new Stiiizy vape products that were on sale at that time infringed on one patent.
“The CBP decision means retailers should have no worries about selling our newly designed cartridges,” said Tak Sato, President of STIIIZY.
The ruling by the ITC, made on January 20, 2026, did not go into effect for 60 days, on March 21. Because of that, any STIIIZY products retailers purchased prior to March 21, 2026, are not subject to the ITC determination, and those cartridges can continue to be sold. STIIIZY also stopped selling the cartridges cited by the ITC prior to March 21, so all purchases made after March 21, 2026 – and all purchases moving forward – are not subject to the ITC ruling.
It should also be noted that the ITC ruling applies only to STIIIZY, ALD (the manufacturer), and any companies related to or affiliated with STIIIZY or ALD. It does not apply to third parties, such as unaffiliated customers and retailers.
As a result, retailers can still resell STIIIZY’s legacy cartridges (the ones cited by the ITC in its January ruling), as long as those are or have been purchased from third-party distributors, who are not subject to the ruling.
To summarize:
- STIIIZY cartridges sold to retailers beginning March 21, 2026, do not violate PAX’s patents because those have been cleared by U.S. Customs;
- STIIIZY cartridges sold to retailers before March 21, 2026, are also in the clear since the ITC determination had not yet gone into effect.
For more information about the ITC ruling, retailers should contact Matt Finkelberg, Deputy Counsel, at 213-827-2113.
SOURCE STIIIZY
