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CINCINNATI--([ BUSINESS WIRE ])--The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE: PG) has filed a lawsuit today in Federal Court in Canada against Brushpoint Innovations, Inc., a private-label manufacturer and distributor of tooth whitening products. The lawsuit alleges that Brushpoint violated P&G's intellectual property by manufacturing and selling its private label aAdvanced Whitening Dental Stripsa products. The unauthorized use of patented technology is prohibited by law. P&G is suing Brushpoint in order to protect its investment in its technology and its Crest 3D White Whitestrips business.

"P&G has made significant investments in the innovations behind our Crest Whitestrips products. We treat infringements of our intellectual property rights protecting these innovations very seriously"

P&G revolutionized the process of at-home whitening with the introduction of Crest Whitestrips to the public in 2001, and has had a steady stream of innovations on its product over the past decade. Crest 3D White Whitestrips offer great consumer benefits, such as Crest 3D Whiteas most advanced adhesion technology, to deliver an enhanced tooth whitening experience with no slip and no mess. Formulated with the same enamel-safe whitening ingredient dentists use, these teeth whitening systems remove set in stains below the enamel surface. The Crest 3D White Whitestrips technology is a competitive advantage to P&G in the marketplace and P&G intends to protect its investment in the product.

aP&G has made significant investments in the innovations behind our Crest Whitestrips products. We treat infringements of our intellectual property rights protecting these innovations very seriously," said Deborah P. Majoras, chief legal officer of P&G. aBy filing a lawsuit against Brushpoint Innovations, we are taking steps to protect this investment and our business.a

About Procter & Gamble

P&G serves approximately 4.6 billion people around the world with its brands. The Company has one of the strongest portfolios of trusted, quality, leadership brands, including Pampers, Tide, Ariel, Always, Whisper, Pantene, Mach3. Bounty, Dawn, Fairy,Gain, Charmin, Downy, Lenor, Iams, Crest, Oral-B, Duracell, Olay, Head & Shoulders, Wella, Gillette, Braun, Fusion, Ace, Febreze, Ambi Pur, SK-II, and Vicks. The P&G community includes operations in approximately 75 countries worldwide. Please visit [ http://www.pg.com ] for the latest news and in-depth information about P&G and its brands.