(a) Any nonresident or foreign nonparticipating manufacturer or importer that has not registered to do business in this state as a foreign corporation or business entity shall, as a condition precedent to having its brand families included or retained in the directory, appoint and continually engage without interruption the services of an agent in this state as required by Code Section 48-11-5 to act as agent for the service of process on whom all process and any action or proceeding against it concerning or arising out of the enforcement of Chapter 13 of this title or this chapter may be served in any manner authorized by law. Such service shall constitute legal and valid service of process on the nonparticipating manufacturer. The nonparticipating manufacturer shall provide the name, address, phone number, and proof of the appointment and availability of such agent to the satisfaction of the commissioner and Attorney General.

(b) The nonparticipating manufacturer or importer shall provide notice to the commissioner and Attorney General 30 calendar days prior to termination of the authority of an agent and shall further provide proof to the satisfaction of the Attorney General of the appointment of a new agent no less than five calendar days prior to the termination of an existing agent appointment. In the event an agent terminates an agency appointment, the agent and the nonparticipating manufacturer or importer shall notify the commissioner and Attorney General of said termination within five calendar days and shall include proof to the satisfaction of the Attorney General of the appointment of a new agent.

(c) Any nonparticipating manufacturer or importer whose cigarettes are sold in this state who has not appointed and engaged an agent as required in this Code section shall be deemed to have appointed the Secretary of State as such agent and may be proceeded against in courts of this state by service of process upon the Secretary of State; provided, however, that the appointment of the Secretary of State as such agent shall not satisfy the condition precedent for having the brand families of the nonparticipating manufacturer or importer included or retained in the directory.

(d) The Attorney General shall update the directory as necessary in order to correct mistakes and to add or remove a tobacco product manufacturer or brand family to keep the directory in conformity with the requirements of this chapter. The Attorney General shall post in the directory and transmit by e-mail or other practicable means to each notice of any removal from the directory of a tobacco product manufacturer or brand family at least 30 days prior to removal from the directory of such tobacco product manufacturer or brand family. Unless otherwise provided by agreement between the wholesaler and a tobacco product manufacturer, the wholesaler shall be entitled to a refund from a tobacco product manufacturer for any money paid by the wholesaler to the tobacco product manufacturer for any cigarettes of the tobacco product manufacturer in the possession of the wholesaler on the effective date of removal from the directory, or as subsequently received from a retail dealer as provided in this chapter, of products of that tobacco product manufacturer or brand family of cigarettes. Unless otherwise provided by agreement between a retail dealer and the wholesaler or a tobacco product manufacturer, a retail dealer shall be entitled to a refund from the wholesaler or a tobacco product manufacturer for any money paid by the retail dealer to the wholesaler or such tobacco product manufacturer for any cigarettes of the tobacco product manufacturer still in the possession of the retail dealer on the effective date of removal from the directory of that tobacco product manufacturer or brand family.