NEW YORK – Energizer Holdings Inc. (ENR) Thursday said a German court ruled that its four-bladed Quattro razor does not infringe Gillette Co.'s (G) European patent on three-bladed progressive exposure.
Energizer, which purchased razor maker Schick Wilkinson Sword (search) last year, said the German court ordered Gillette to reimburse Energizer's court costs.
Gillette said it disagreed with the German Patent Trial Court's decision. The company plans to appeal and continue related litigation that includes additional claims.
St. Louis-based Energizer's Schick-Wilkinson Sword is the No. 2 razor company behind Boston-based Gillette. The rivals have been waging legal battles since Schick released new products -- including the four-bladed Quattro men's razor -- to try to cut into Gillette's dominance of the global shaving market.
"We have been consistent in our rigorous defense of our intellectual property and we do not intend to abandon this claim based on this ruling," Gillette spokesman Eric Kraus said.
He said that while the court's decision was rendered today, a written opinion with reasons would be published in four to six weeks.
Shares of Energizer hit a 52-week high of $49.07 and last traded up 0.6 percent at $48.91 on the New York Stock Exchange (search), while Gillette shares were up 1.5 percent at $44.73 after hitting a new 52-week high of $44.95.
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