HLL loses ad case against Reckitt & Benckiser

 HLL had filed a lawsuit alleging that Reckitt & Benckiser's campaign for Dettol belittled its popular soap Lifebouy, which has been in the market for 110 years.

Justice A K Sikri gave a clean chit to the advertisement that promoted the Dettol soap by keeping four different coloured soaps in the background and comparing its product with them.

"I have held that the present campaign of Reckitt & Benckiser (manufacturer of Dettol) does not amount to disparaging HLL's Lifebuoy," the judge said.

 "Further, in any case, when it is not disparaging any product in particular, such a claim would, at best, be merely puffing the product Dettol, which is permissible," he said.

HLL had contended that Dettol's advertisement on television comparing it with four other soaps in green, brown, white and red in the background with alleged inscription claimed that its product was '10 times better' than others including Lifebouy.