Lg Hamp;h Sues Aekyung Over 'pumping Toothpaste'

By Park Jae-hyuk

LG Household amp; Health Care (LG Hamp;H) recently sued Aekyung Industry for its use of the word 'pumping' for its toothpaste pump dispensers, company officials said Monday.

LG Hamp;H and Aekyung rank first and second, respectively, in Korea's household goods market.

LG Hamp;H claims that Aekyung violated the Unfair Competition Prevention and Trade Secret Protection Act, saying the latter's 2080 Pumping Toothpaste is a copycat of its Perioe Pumping Toothpaste.

The consumer goods unit of LG Group filed the lawsuit with the Seoul Central District Court in October, demanding the court order Aekyung not to use the word 'pumping' for its toothpaste pump dispensers.

The plaintiff says the defendant's product may confuse consumers.

LG Hamp;H argues Aekyung's use of the word 'pumping' shows its intention of imitating Perioe Pumping Toothpaste, citing that the terms 'toothpaste pump dispenser' and 'toothpaste pump' are more commonly used than 'pumping' to refer to such products in other countries.

Aekyung will likely claim the word 'pumping' is a common noun, not a proper noun, to defend itself.

The court has yet to set the date for the first hearing, but it is expected to judge whether the word 'pumping' is a proper noun or not.

The two companies declined to comment on this issue, saying the legal dispute is underway.

Since LG Hamp;H released the Perioe Pumping Toothpaste in July 2013, it has come up with six types of...