Procter & Gamble Files Lawsuit Against Luhns GmbH, Germany
10-Jul-2011
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LONDON - The Procter & Gamble Company (P&G) announced in a press release that it has filed a lawsuit against Luhns GmbH, a private-label manufacturer and distributor of Hand Dish Washing liquids, in the District Court of Düsseldorf, Germany (Landgericht Düsseldorf). The lawsuit alleges that Luhns GmbH is violating P&G's intellectual property by manufacturing and selling certain Magnum(TM) private label Hand Dish Washing detergents to a retailer in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
P&G alleges that Luhns's dish detergent products, specifically the bottle shape and its overall product appearance, infringe P&G's European Community Design Rights relating to its FAIRY Hand Dish Washing liquids. Luhns's use of P&G's intellectual property without P&G's consent is prohibited by law, and can cause consumer confusion. P&G is suing Luhns in order to protect its business and to prevent consumer confusion in the marketplace.
P&G takes pride in developing FAIRY products that deliver the highest level of quality for consumers who have trusted the brand's performance for over 50 years. FAIRY is the UK market leader in Hand Dish Washing and takes great pride in its long standing relationship with consumers. FAIRY welcomes competition in the marketplace, however it is keen to ensure that consumers are not in any way misled by competitive brands' presentation of products.
"P&G has made significant investments in the innovations behind our FAIRY Hand Dish Washing liquids. We take the intellectual property rights protecting these innovations very seriously," said Deborah P. Majoras, chief legal officer, The Procter & Gamble Company. "By filing a law suit against Luhns we are taking steps to protect this investment, ensuring that consumers are not being confused."
The lawsuit seeks to stop Luhns from violating P&G's intellectual property and selling the infringing products.
Four billion times a day, P&G brands touch the lives of people around the world. The company has one of the strongest portfolios of trusted, quality, leadership brands, including Pampers(R), Tide(R), Ariel(R), Always(R), Whisper(R), Pantene(R), Mach3(R). Bounty(R), FAIRY(R), Gain(R), Charmin(R), Downy(R), Lenor(R), Iams(R), Crest(R), Oral-B(R), Duracell(R), Olay(R), Head & Shoulders(R), Wella(R), Gillette(R), Braun(R) and Fusion(R).