Gillette sues rival over patents again
Shaving company Gillette has sued rival Edgewell Personal Care for the second time in just over one year.
Yesterday, September 25, Gillette, a subsidiary of consumer goods company Procter & Gamble (P&G), sued Edgewell over razors at the US District Court for the District of Connecticut.
A press release from Gillette said that the claim challenged Edgewell’s Hydro Connect 5 razor cartridges, which are sold online and positioned as compatible with Gillette Fusion handles.
Edgewell was also accused of infringing a patent which relates to how the razor cartridge and handle connect. The patent was granted to P&G in 2015.
According to Gillette, Edgewell violates the patent with two products, Hydro Connect 5 and Hydro Connect 5 Sensitive, which were launched in May 2017.
P&G has also filed a complaint with the US International Trade Commission, seeking an exclusion order to prohibit Edgewell from importing the products into the US from China.
In December last year, WIPR reported that Gillette had settled a patent dispute concerning three-bladed razors with Edgewell.
Gillette had sued the company in August, accusing Edgewell of deceptive acts, false advertising and infringement of US patent numbers 5,787,586; 5,813,293; and 5,918,369.
Deborah Majoras, chief legal officer at Gillette, said: “For over a century, Gillette has been investing to deliver world class innovation and shaving products of the highest quality, which is why so many men trust their faces to Gillette.”
She added: “It is also why we take action when necessary to defend our vital technical advancements and the equally vital scientists who produce them.”
Earlier this year, WIPR spoke to Deborah Brincat, senior legal manager at P&G, about managing a global trademark operation.
In a press release, Edgewell said: “As innovators ourselves, we have numerous patents, and take intellectual property very seriously. However, P&G's allegations in this instance are meritless.”
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