Gillette sued for sputtering

A Mansfield company that makes systems for depositing thin coatings on things says Gillette is violating its patents in the way it makes its Fusion ProGlide razor blades extra sharp.

In a lawsuit filed yesterday in US District Court in Boston, Zond says it had extensive talks with Gillette about using its plasma technology to apply thin films to razor blades, but then Gillette used what it had learned about Zond's patents to make the ProGlide blades in a process known as sputtering:

During the period of the talks between Gillette and Zond, Gillette released its Fusion ProGlide razor blade, which uses Zond's patented technology for key competitive features of the blades. Having studied Zond’s patent portfolio and the information regarding Zond's patented technology, Gillette made a deliberate choice to ignore Zond's patent rights and use its patented technology in its multibillion dollar razor blade product line without compensating Zond for its inventions and hard work.

The company adds:

Gillette began incorporating Zond's patented plasma technology into its product offerings beginning at least since the introduction of its Fusion ProGlide razor in 2010. Indeed, tests have confirmed the presence and use of certain chemical elements in the Fusion ProGlide razor in a manner that could only have been incorporated using Zond's patented technology. Upon information and belief, the technology has been so successful that Gillette has also modified its manufacturing processes used to make its predecessor Fusion and Venus razors by incorporating Zond's patented plasma technology into those products as well.

Zond is seeking profits and treble damages.