P&G’s Gillette Files a Lawsuit against Dollar Shave Club

On December 17, Procter & Gamble, or P&G (PG), filed a lawsuit in the district of Delaware against Dollar Shave Club, or DSC, through its wholly owned subsidiary The Gillette Company. The lawsuit alleges that Dollar Shave Club is violating Gillette’s intellectual property by selling its razors.

P&G is the largest household and personal products company in the world. P&G, along with its subsidiaries, manufactures and sells consumer packaged goods. The company operates under five reportable segments, and its grooming segment includes the brand Gillette. To learn more about P&G, please read Procter & Gamble: Your Guide to the Largest Consumer Staples Firm.

Dollar Shave Club is a marketer and retailer of shaving products. It delivers razors and other personal grooming products straight to consumers by mail.

The grooming sector is undergoing significant changes. Male grooming products have gained popularity over time, as male grooming is no longer just a facial care business. Gillette’s competitors Estée Lauder (EL) and Unilever (UL) have continued to develop their men’s grooming products.

Like its peers Kimberly-Clark Corporation (KMB) and Colgate-Palmolive (CL), P&G focuses on innovation and has been revolutionizing the shaving experience since the advent of its first razor. The lawsuit cites the unauthorized use of patented technology and is intended to protect Gillette’s significant investment in razor technology.

The SPDR Dow Jones Industrial Average ETF Trust (DIA) invests 3.0% of its holdings in P&G.