P&G Sues Edgewell for Patent Infringement

Procter & Gamble Co. on Tuesday said it has sued smaller rival Edgewell Personal Care Co. for patent infringement and said the company made misleading claims against P&G's Gillette subsidiary.

The consumer-goods giant said the lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court in the Southern District of New York, focuses on Edgewell's three-bladed private-label razors. In addition to patent infringement, the complaint also accuses Edgewell of false advertising, unfair competition and deceptive acts and practices.

A representative for Edgewell couldn't immediately reached for comment.

"When a competitor makes false and misleading claims against one of our products and infringes our patents, it's unfair to consumers, and to our employees and shareholders," said Procter & Gamble's chief legal officer.

Edgewell sells Schick brand razors and Edge shave gels. Gillette—which makes razors under the Mach3 brand , among others—is a wholly owned subsidiary of Procter & Gamble.

Edgewell stock declined 1.2% to $77.10 in midday trading. Shares of P&G edged up 0.6% to $87.40.

Write to Joshua Jamerson at [e-mail]

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

August 23, 2016 13:05 ET (17:05 GMT)

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