Recently, Guangzhou Procter & Gamble Co., Ltd. has made several new court announcements. As the plaintiff, Guangzhou Procter & Gamble sued nearly ten companies including Guangzhou Head & Shoulders Cosmetics Co., Ltd.
“What does it mean?” Safeguard and Head & Shoulders are brands under the Procter & Gamble Group. Now Guangzhou Procter & Gamble is taking these companies to court.
This time, Guangzhou Procter & Gamble sued Guangzhou Head & Shoulders over an “unfair competition” dispute.
According to the National Enterprise Information Network, Head & Shoulders Co. was established in September 2020. Their main business includes cosmetics products retail on internet, etc. They are a personal holding company and has no any relationship with P&G. Their legal representative is totally independent.
In the year 2023, Guangzhou Procter & Gamble, acting as the plaintiff, instituted numerous legal proceedings against multiple entities, citing the grounds of “unfair competition disputes.”
The primary targets of the legal action initiated by Guangzhou P&G are predominantly local companies based in Guangzhou. Notably, these defendant companies exhibit a significant common characteristic – their company names bear a substantial resemblance to the renowned brands of the P&G Group. For instance, Guangzhou Head & Shoulders Cosmetics Co., Ltd., Guangdong Safeguard Daily Chemical Co., Ltd., and Guangzhou New Ariel Biotechnology Co., Ltd. are respectively associated with P&G’s brands: Head & Shoulders, Safeguard, and Ariel.
It is important to emphasize that the aforementioned defendant companies have no financial or ownership affiliation with Guangzhou Procter & Gamble.
Unfair competition disputes encompass legal conflicts arising from producers and operators violating the principles of fairness and good faith, thereby encroaching upon the rights and interests of other producers, operators, and consumers, as well as disrupting the social and economic order. Such disputes commonly involve activities such as counterfeiting registered trademarks, unauthorized usage of company names, malicious libel against goods, and the unauthorized adoption of unique names, packaging, and decoration of other goods.
Counterfeiting registered trademarks and unauthorized usage of company names exemplify typical instances of unfair competition practices. A expert in the beauty industry has indicated that Guangzhou Head & Shoulders company may be facing legal action due to the use of the brand name “Head & Shoulders.”
Furthermore, Tide Daily Chemicals (Guangzhou) Co., Ltd. and Guangzhou Tide Enterprise Development Co., Ltd. have both filed for company cancellation on August 15, 2023, and June 15, 2023, respectively. Guangzhou Safeguard Daily Chemical Co., Ltd. has also been classified as a business abnormality due to the inability to establish contact through a registered residence or business location.