Procter & Gamble Files Lawsuit Against Vi-Jon, Inc.

CINCINNATI--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

The Procter & Gamble Company PG filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee against Vi-Jon, Inc., a manufacturer of personal care products. The lawsuit focuses on Vi-Jon's store brand dandruff shampoos, which are sold in major retail outlets throughout the U.S. The complaint alleges that Vi-Jon bottles sold in Dollar General, CVS and Kroger mimic the shape, colors and label of Head & Shoulders, the leader of the dandruff category and the world's #1 shampoo, in a way that infringes its trade dress.

"We invest heavily in all aspects of our product, and its appearance has become inextricably linked with what we stand for to our consumers," said Deborah P. Majoras, Chief Legal Officer of P&G. "When a competitor makes products that come too close to our legally protected trademarks and trade dress, it's unfair to consumers, and to our employees and shareholders, and we will challenge those violations."

With over 50 years of proven scalp care technology and success, Head & Shoulders has emerged as the leader in dandruff protection and is the world's #1 shampoo, used by 1.3 billion people across 140 countries. With over 200 Clinical studies, Head & Shoulders is the most tested¹ and most trusted dandruff shampoo.²

About Procter & Gamble

P&G serves consumers around the world with one of the strongest portfolios of trusted, quality, leadership brands, including Always®, Ambi Pur®, Ariel®, Bounty®, Charmin®, Crest®, Dawn®, Downy®, Fairy®, Febreze®, Gain®, Gillette®, Head & Shoulders®, Lenor®, Olay®, Oral-B®, Pampers®, Pantene®, SK-II®, Tide®, Vicks®, and Whisper®. The P&G community includes operations in approximately 70 countries worldwide. Please visit http://www.pg.com for the latest news and information about P&G and its brands.

¹ Based on published studies
² P&G calculation based on Nielsen sales information July 2012-June 2013

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