Gillette Sues Water Pik Over ‘Flosser’ Patents

Gillette Co., owner of the Braun Oral-B line of electric toothbrushes, said Friday it filed a lawsuit seeking to avoid paying royalties to Water Pik Technologies Inc. for inventions used in Gillette’s new electric dental-flossing device.

Gillette began selling the Oral-B Hummingbird Power Flosser and Pick in March for about $7. Gillette spokesman Eric Kraus said “it’s been very successful,” but he declined to provide sales figures.

Newport Beach-based Water Pik, which makes products that use jets of water to clean teeth, announced a battery-operated flossing device in March selling for about the same price. Gillette’s suit said Water Pik claimed to own the rights to the technology used in both devices and sought licensing fees from Gillette. The suit asked a court to rule that Gillette didn’t owe a fee to Water Pik.

“We filed this because Water Pik has threatened a patent-infringement suit and we strongly believe there’s no merit to Water Pik’s position,” Kraus said.

Water Pik spokesman Jeff D’Eliscu said the company had a policy of not commenting on pending litigation.

Gillette filed the lawsuit Nov. 12 in federal court in its hometown of Boston, seeking a ruling that it isn’t infringing the three patents or that the patents are invalid.

Also named in the lawsuit are inventor Dane Robinson and his Arizona-based company, Skyvision Inc., which say they granted a license to Water Pik.

Gillette claims in the lawsuit that it also licensed one of the patents.

Water Pik also makes a flossing device with a whitening agent that sells for $24.99.

Gillette shares fell 34 cents to close at $43.24 and Water Pik fell 5 cents to $16.63, both on the New York Stock Exchange.