Toothpaste Lawsuit over Blob Settles…so Who’s Got the Nurdle?

November 8th, 2011. By AbiK

The dramatic courtroom battle over toothpaste nurdle rights has reached its incredible denouement. Ok, maybe it wasn’t quite a made-for-tv courtroom drama, but yes, a confidential settlement has been reached between Colgate-Palmolive and GlaxoSmithKline in the trademark infringement case that centered on use of the nurdle—that curvy squeezed-out blob of toothpaste—in packaging and advertising.

You can read about—and see nurdle pics—the toothpaste nurdle lawsuit here (GlaxoSmithKline LLC v. Colgate-Palmolive Co, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No. 10-05739).

So with Glaxo wanting to establish exclusive rights to use the nurdle along with the phrase “Triple Protection” (recall the 3 intertwined streams of red, white and blue toothpaste in their Aquafresh line), and Colgate wanting to ensure the use of its newer “Triple Action” swirl of toothpaste, both sides have agreed to settle—though, of course, it’s hush-hush.

Not to worry—just keep your eyes peeled on those Sunday paper coupon inserts and store shelves. Give it a few months—and see who using that nurdle and how.

Tags: Colgate, Colgate Palmolive, GlaxoSmithKline, GSK, Toothpaste Blog, Toothpaste Nurdle Lawsuit, Triple Action, Triple Protection

This was posted on Tuesday, November 8th, 2011 at 10:34 am and is filed under Emerging Issues, Intellectual Property, lawsuits, Settlement . Feel free to respond, or trackback. Read our comments policy.