P.M. BRIEFING : Wilkinson Told to Stop Boasting

A federal judge has ordered Wilkinson Sword Inc. to drop all advertising boasts--including the query “Who offers the best shave known to man?”--that claim that its Ultra Glide razor is better than a model made by rival Gillette Co.

U.S. District Judge Kimba Wood granted Gillette’s request for a permanent injunction against Wilkinson’s claims of “shaving smoothness superiority” of the Ultra Glide compared to Gillette’s Atra Plus system.

Under the ruling, signed Thursday and released Monday, Wilkinson must drop a claim on packaging and in print advertisements that the Ultra Glide is “six times smoother” than other razors.

Jeffrey Avison, a vice president for Wilkinson’s U.S. shaving business, said today that the company will make the changes by the end of the month. He said Wilkinson has not decided whether to appeal the ruling.