Brawny and Bounty in Legal Squabble Over Paper-Towel Patterns

Who Knew? There's a Lawsuit Frenzy in Paper-Products Aisle

Posted by Jack Neff on 05.12.09 @ 05:21 PM

Those little quilts on paper towels and toilet paper are turning out to be a very big deal in federal courts.

Procter & Gamble Co. filed suit May 8 against Georgia-Pacific in U.S. District Court in Cincinnati alleging bow-tie patterns in new-and-improved Brawny paper towels infringe the trademark bow-tie shapes in the quilts of P&G's Bounty Extra Soft.

Brawny's "Great New Look" is "an obvious attempt to trade on the goodwill, reputation and commercial success achieved by Bounty Extra Soft," P&G says in its lawsuit.

"We disagree with those allegations and we believe P&G's complaint is entirely merit-less," a G-P spokeswoman said. "We plan to defend the lawsuit vigorously."

It's the latest in a series of lawsuits among the paper powers. After G-P sued P&G in March alleging false advertising by Bounty, P&G settled, agreeing to modify claims. That suit alleged that while the quilts may have been thicker on improved Bounty, the towels weren't.

G-P also sued Kimberly-Clark Corp. April 18 in federal court in Atlanta alleging quilt shapes on Cottonelle Ultra toilet paper infringe on diamond patterns of G-P's Quilted Northern.

"To make matters worse, Kimberly-Clark's new packaging ... prominently features a dog snuggled in a quilt with a diamond design," G-P notes in its complaint.

A K-C spokesman said as a matter of policy the company doesn't comment on pending litigation.

G-P's also sued P&G in October alleging Charmin infringed its trademark diamond shapes. P&G settled that suit in December, according to G-P, pledging to modify its design.

3 Comments

  By shazell | Toronto, ON May 13, 2009 10:51:55 am:

I wish I read this on the Onion. This is why people ridicule marketing.

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  By Karen | Rochester, NY May 13, 2009 12:07:23 pm:

Seriously? Get a life! No one cares ... folks are concerned about jobs, their families, kids, the economy. Does the paper towel work? Good; make one that is good for the earth, that doesn't have a lot of chemicals or dyes in it and that will disintegrate quickly in a landfill. I'm trying to use less paper towel so applaud the one third size perforated option. As far as design, I couldn't care less and more importantly, couldn't tell you the imprinted design in the one I use.

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  By jmsptrck101 | Chicago, IL May 13, 2009 01:04:52 pm:

*sigh*

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