Gillette Gets a Restraining Order Halting Rival Wilkinson’s TV Ads

Gillette Co. nicked Wilkinson Sword Inc. in court Friday when a federal judge temporarily halted certain television commercials for Wilkinson’s Ultra Glide razor.

Gillette had sued Wilkinson in May, claiming that its commercials for the Ultra Glide were false and misleading.

Gillette said Wilkinson claimed in its ads that a special lubricating strip above the Ultra Glide blade was six times smoother than a comparable strip in Gillette’s Atra Plus.

Gillette said these commercials could mislead the public to believe that the Ultra Glide provided a shave that was six times smoother than the Atra Plus.

U.S. District Judge Kimba Wood granted Gillette’s motion for a preliminary injunction after finding a likelihood that Gillette would prevail on the merits of the case when it went to trial.

Among the evidence that Wood considered was an outside study that found there was no significant difference in the smoothness of shaves provided by the two brands.