PMI's complaint alleged that Uruguay's anti-smoking legislation devalued its cigarette trademarks and investments in the country and sought compensation of twenty-five million dollars for engaging in anticompetitive practices in violation of the bilateral investment treaty between Switzerland, where Philip Morris International is headquartered, and Uruguay.

[6] On 8 July 2016, after 6 years, the ICSID ruled in favor of Uruguay, forcing PMI to pay the expenses of the defendants and the court.

[7][8][9] On 19 June 2003, when the Uruguayan President was Jorge Batlle, the General Assembly of Uruguay approved the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, an international treaty that requires signatories to enact various anti-smoking policies recommended by the World Health Organization.

[12] Philip Morris International is a multinational company, a leading producer of cigarettes, of which it owns seven out of twenty global brands.

The tobacco company initiated a claim in the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID), a part of the World Bank seeking $25 million in compensation from Uruguay.

[21] Uruguay's anti-smoking efforts also received support from past New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg,[22] and from Bernard Borel, Swiss deputy from the Canton of Vaud.