CINCINNATI
and ATLANTA, April
4, 2006 --
The Procter & Gamble
Company (NYSE: PG)
and The Coca-Cola Company
(NYSE: KO) announced
today their settlement
of two patent infringement
lawsuits.
The first suit involved
a P&G patent relating
to the calcium fortification
of orange juice, and
the second suit related
to a preservative system
used in a number of
noncarbonated Coca-Cola
products. Terms of
the settlement were
not disclosed, but
the settlement allows
Coca-Cola to continue
selling its calcium
fortified juices and
to use P&G's patented
preservative technology
in certain noncarbonated
Coca-Cola products.
“We are very pleased
with the terms of the
agreement and that
we could resolve this
amicably,” said Jeff
Weedman, vice president
of P&G’s external
business development
organization. “P&G
is proud that our technology
is helping to meet
the needs of consumers
through its use in
some of Coke’s products.”
“We have resolved
these issues to our
mutual satisfaction
and now look forward
to working together
with P&G in the
future,” said Sandy
Douglas, Senior Vice
President and Chief
Customer Officer, Coca-Cola. "We
realized there are
clear opportunities
for our two great companies
to collaborate, and
this settlement is
an example of a cooperative
mindset we hope to
build upon."
About
Procter & Gamble
(NYSE:PG)
Three
billion times a day,
P&G brands
touch the lives of
people around the world.
The company has one
of the strongest portfolios
of trusted, quality,
leadership brands,
including Pampers®,
Tide®, Ariel®, Always®,
Whisper®, Pantene®,
Mach3®, Bounty®, Dawn®,
Pringles®, Folgers®,
Charmin®, Downy®, Lenor®,
Iams®, Crest®, Oral-B®,
Actonel®, Duracell®,
Olay®, Head & Shoulders®,
Wella, Gillette®, and
Braun. The P&G
community consists
of almost 140,000 employees
working in over 80
countries worldwide.
Please visit http://www.pg.com for
the latest news and
in-depth information
about P&G and its
brands.
About
Coca-Cola (NYSE:
KO)
The Coca-Cola
Company is the world’s
largest beverage
company. Along with
Coca-Cola ®, recognized
as the world's most
valuable brand, the
Company markets four
of the world's top
five soft drink brands,
including Diet Coke
®, Fanta ® and Sprite
®, and a wide range
of other beverages,
including diet and
light soft drinks,
waters, juices and
juice drinks, teas,
coffees and sports
drinks. Through the
world's largest distribution
system, consumers in
more than 200 countries
enjoy the Company's
beverages at a rate
exceeding one billion
servings each day.
For more information
about The Coca-Cola
Company, please visit
our website at www.coca-cola.com.
#
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Media
Contacts:
Jeff LeRoy, Procter & Gamble
Tel
+
00 1 513 983 0466
email : leroy.jh@pg.com
Ray Crockett, Coca-Cola
Tel
+
00 404 676 1070
email :
rcrockett@na.ko.com
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