Kraft sued by Proctor and Gamble

Procter & Gamble (P&G) has filed a patent lawsuit against Kraft Foods, over a dispute on some new packaging for Kraft's Maxwell House coffee brand.

The lawsuit, filed in the US Federal District Court for the Northern District of California in San Francisco, alleges that the plastic container for Maxwell House coffee, recently introduced throughout the US, directly infringes key P&G patents on Folgers Coffee.

In 2003, P&G introduced Folgers Coffee in a "consumer-preferred' plastic container, which has increased the Folgers business for the past four years.

"We made large investments to overcome the technical challenges in making a lightweight plastic container that can withstand the pressure changes that occur between the factory and the consumer's home," said Jim Johnson, P&G chief legal officer.

"Many innovations in this container are covered by P&G patents, which we believe Maxwell House has infringed. We must protect our intellectual property."

The lawsuit seeks recovery of damages and to stop Kraft Foods from selling the infringing Maxwell House Coffee package.