Gillette v. Norelco
This article was originally published in The Rose Sheet
Executive Summary
Boston federal court denies Gillette's lawsuit charging that Norelco's Reflex Action electric razor advertising campaign was false or misleading. The ruling ends a three-year legal battle initiated in October 1996 in which Gillette claimed Norelco's "disparaging" Reflex Action electric shaver ads directly targeted Gillette's wet shave products (1"The Rose Sheet" Oct. 21, 1996, p. 1). The spots depicted images of a traditional razor spitting fire, baring teeth and biting; Gillette claimed the razor resembled its Sensor or SensorExcel for men. The court rules Gillette provided no consumer perception studies to help back its case. Gillette said it is "disappointed in the judges' decision" and is "evaluating" its "next steps"