News Release
| Procter & Gamble Files Motion for Preliminary Injunction in Lawsuit Against Kraft Foods |
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Folgers vs. Maxwell House on Patent Infringement with Plastic Canister Package CINCINNATI, Sept. 14 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE: PG) has filed a legal motion for a preliminary injunction in the patent lawsuit against Kraft Foods Inc., manufacturer of the Maxwell House Coffee brand. (Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070914/CLF060 ) The motion for a preliminary injunction follows the lawsuit filed on August 27, 2007, in the United States Federal District Court for the Northern District of California in San Francisco, alleging that the new plastic container for Maxwell House coffee directly infringes a P&G patent on Folgers Coffee. The new motion allows the district court to quickly intervene to stop continued and further infringement of P&G's patent. In the motion for a preliminary injunction, P&G states that Folgers brand faces irreparable harm from Kraft's continued infringement. P&G requests court action to stop Kraft from continuing to manufacture and distribute Maxwell House coffee in their plastic containers. In 2003, following many years of research and development work, P&G introduced the plastic canister for Folgers ground roast coffee and the patented canister soon became a consumer-preferred package in the U.S. coffee industry. This innovation in package design has grown the Folgers business for the past four years. Consistent with the company's history of protecting its patents and intellectual property, P&G is taking legal action to protect Folgers' competitive advantage and investment in product innovation. "We believe this is a case of clear infringement designed to take advantage of the consumer goodwill and business growth that P&G developed through its patented innovation on the Folgers brand," said Jim Johnson, P&G chief legal officer. "We are asking the court for a preliminary injunction because this is such a serious case of patent infringement. We must protect the intellectual property of P&G brands," he said. About Procter & Gamble Three 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), Dawn(R), Gain(R), Pringles(R), Folgers(R), Charmin(R), Downy(R), Lenor(R), Iams(R), Crest(R), Oral-B(R), Actonel(R), Duracell(R), Olay(R), Head & Shoulders(R), Wella(R), Gillette(R), and Braun(R). The P&G community consists of 138,000 employees working in over 80 countries worldwide. Please visit http://www.pg.com for the latest news and in-depth information about P&G and its brands.
SOURCE The Procter & Gamble Company
CONTACT: Bryan Brown, +1-513-634-3661, brown.bw.2@pg.com or Doug Shelton, +1-513-293-4117, shelton.do@pg.com both of The Procter & Gamble Company 4166 09/14/2007 14:20 EDT http://www.prnewswire.com |
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