P&G and Edgewell settle patent infringement lawsuit

Personal care firm Procter & Gamble (P&G) and men's grooming products company Edgewell Personal Care have settled a lawsuit over alleged patent infringement of razor advertising and packaging.

The lawsuit was filed by P&G in August, claiming Edgewell falsely advertised its Schick razors and compared them to P&G's Gillette Mach3 razors.

While Mach3's patent expired in April, Edgewell launched its razors to retail outlets in July, reported Cosmeticsdesign.com. In order to develop and launch Schick quickly, P&G alleges that Edgewell must have infringed its patent. The lawsuit also cited deceptive acts and unfair competition.

Terms of the lawsuit settlement have not been disclosed due to a confidentiality agreement between the firms.

P&G reportedly intends to launch new shaving products and redesign the packaging of existing Gillete products. The company's global grooming business group president Charles Pierce was quoted by Cosmeticsdesign.com as saying: "We have faced competitive entries in direct-to-consumer space, as well as the traditional retail space. We are addressing both.

"To improve our growth and growth of the market, we are driving innovation, new user trial, go-to-market excellence and improved consumer value across our portfolio."

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Image: P&G world headquarters. Photo: courtesy of Procter & Gamble.