Gillette obtains dismissal of trade secret action

Client(s) Gillette Company, The

Jones Day recently obtained dismissal of a claim against The Gillette Company, a subsidiary of The Procter & Gamble Company. The plaintiff claimed Gillette had misappropriated trade secrets and breached an implied contract. The case was originally filed in the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts, but was dismissed on Gillette's motion because that court lacked jurisdiction.

A judge in the Massachusetts Superior Court found in January 2014 that the plaintiff could not prove its case, but provided a brief window in which it might take additional discovery. In its June 2014 ruling in favor of Gillette, the Court held that there was no evidence that Gillette had acquired the plaintiffs' ideas through improper means or otherwise. Accordingly, judgment was entered in Gillette's favor, with costs.

Alternative Productions, Inc. v. The Gillette Company, Civil Action No. 2011-CV-11499-MLW (D. Mass.)