S.C. Johnson & Son Inc., whose brands include Ziploc, Pledge and Raid, has sued Dial Corp. for patent infringement involving a new air freshener that emits three scents.
Racine-based S.C. Johnson, which makes Glade and Oust air fresheners, filed the suit this month in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin in Madison. It did not specify damages.
The company asked that Dial's new product, called Renuzit Tri Scents, be prevented from hitting the market next month.
A message seeking comment left at S.C. Johnson's headquarters was not immediately returned Tuesday.
A Portuguese company called Consultoria Tecnica e Representacoes, LDA, joined S.C. Johnson in the suit. It holds the patent in question, according to court filings. The two companies cut a deal in March giving S.C. Johnson exclusive rights to the patent.
S.C. Johnson said in court filings that it will suffer irreparable harm if Dial goes to market with the product. Dial, which is owned by Henkel KGaA of Germany, bought the Renuzit brand from S.C. Johnson in 1993.
Cindy Demers, a spokeswoman for Dial, said the Scottsdale, Ariz.-based company is in discussions with S.C. Johnson.
Dial believes its product will be the first on the market to feature three different scents. It doesn't feel the new product will infringe on the patent, Demers said.
"It's very important for us to respect everyone's intellectual property and we feel there's no infringement," she said.
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On the Net:
S.C. Johnson: http://www.scjohnson.com
Dial: http://www.dialcorp.com
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