P&G wipes smile from Brushpoint’s face with IP lawsuit
The lawsuit has been filed in Federal Court in Canada against the private-label manufacturer alleging that Brushpoint violated P&G's intellectual property by manufacturing and selling its private label “Advanced Whitening Dental Strips” products.
The unauthorized use of patented technology is prohibited by law, and the accusation has been levelled at Brushpoint, as the Cincinnati-based consumer goods giant seeks to protect its investment in its technology and its Crest 3D White Whitestrips business.
Brand protection
“P&G has made significant investments in the innovations behind our Crest Whitestrips products. We treat infringements of our intellectual property rights protecting these innovations very seriously," said Deborah P. Majoras, chief legal officer of P&G.
“By filing a lawsuit against Brushpoint Innovations, we are taking steps to protect this investment and our business.”
P&G launched the at-home whitening products in 2001, with its advanced adhesion technology, which claims to deliver an enhanced tooth whitening experience with no slip and no mess, without worry about damage to enamel.
P&G has filed the complaint as this technology acts as a competitive advantage to the Crest brand in the marketplace and it claims cases like this are damaging.
Take two
It is not the first time this particular product has triggered accusations aimed at other companies.
Earlier this year, P&G filed a similar complaint against New Jersey-based Team Technologies over a patent infringement regarding its tooth-whitening products.
The lawsuit alleged that Team Technologies violated P&G’s intellectual property by manufacturing and selling “Oral Care Whitening Dental Strips” and “Ultra Whitening Strips” product.
The Cincinnati-based consumer products giant gave the same response at the time regarding protection of the brand.
