Procter & Gamble Settles infringement lawsuit against Apollo Health and
Beauty Care Corporation

CINCINNATI , Jan. 15 /CNW/ - The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE: PG) has settled a lawsuit against Apollo Health and Beauty Care Corporation of Concord Ontario, Canada , regarding the alleged infringement of its Herbal Essences Intellectual property, including trademark, trade dress and industrial design rights.

The suit, filed in December 2008 in the Federal Court of Canada , involved the company's Herbal Essences brand trade dress, the trademark and the unique design of the Herbal Essences bottles for shampoos and conditioners. In accordance with the settlement Apollo Health and Beauty Care Corporation has agreed to stop distributing the bottles in issue. Other terms of the settlement shall remain confidential.

Procter & Gamble introduced the award winning Herbal Essences packaging with the relaunch of the brand in 2006. "We are pleased to have reached an agreement protecting our Herbal Essences Brand equity," said Steven Jemison , P&G chief legal officer. "Intellectual Property is of utmost importance to Procter & Gamble and we intend to continue to vigorously protect our rights."

About P&G Beauty & Grooming

P&G Beauty & Grooming products help make beauty dreams real for women worldwide and help men look, feel and be their best everyday. With more than 100 brands available in nearly 130 countries, P&G's beauty and grooming products delivered sales of over $26 billion in fiscal year 2008/09, making it one of the world's largest beauty and grooming companies. P&G Beauty & Grooming offers trusted brands with leading technology to meet the full complement of beauty and grooming needs, including Pantene Pro-V(R), Olay(R), Head & Shoulders(R), CoverGirl(R), DDF(R), Frederic Fekkai(R), Sebastian Professional(R), Herbal Essences(R), Clairol(R), Clairol Professional(R), Nice 'n Easy(R), Venus(R), Gillette(R), Old Spice(R), Secret(R), Crest Whitestrips(R), Wella Professionals(R), Braun(R) and a leading Prestige Fragrance division that spans from point of market entry consumers to high end luxury with global brands such as Hugo Boss (R), Lacoste(R), and Christina Aguilera (R). Please visit www.pgbeauty.ca for the latest news and in-depth information about P&G Beauty and Grooming (NYSE: PG) and its brands.

For further information: P&G Media Contact: Tala Arous, [phone], [email protected]