P&G settles infringement lawsuit with Ranir

Procter & Gamble (P&G) has resolved a lawsuit claiming that Ranir infringed on a patented technology for tooth-whitening strips.

Filed on 20 March, the lawsuit stated that Ranir sold its own version of the Crest Whitestrips at retail outlets in the US and Canada, infringing patent numbers 5,891,453 and 5,894,017.

The lawsuit read: “P&G informed Ranir about P&G’s intellectual property rights and accused Ranir of infringing of those rights.

“Ranir voluntarily agreed to stop making and selling the infringing tooth whitening strip products and removed those products from the market.

“At about the same time, Ranir told P&G that it identified other private label manufacturers who were also infringing P&G’s patents.

“On several occasions, Ranir acted as a self-appointed whistleblower and reported other manufacturers that it had determined were infringing P&G’s patents.

“Yet Ranir is selling and offering to sell the accused products that are essentially the same as the infringing flexible-strip products at issue in three of the prior tooth whitening strips (court) cases.”

Launched in 2001, Crest Whitestrips features disposable plastic strips coated with an enamel-safe whitening agent and adhesive.

Crest Whitestrips is claimed to have a 70% market share in the $387m teeth-whitening industry.

The companies have decided to settle the dispute in the US and Canada. Specific information on the settlement is confidential.