Patent Faceoff: Gillette vs. L'Oreal

Gillette owns a big chunk of the men's market (shaving) and was founded in 1901 in Boston. It is now part of P&G.

Gillette has 2,568 patents and patent applications in the US, see them here.

Paris-based L'Oreal was founded in 1907; it tilts towards women as the world's biggest cosmetics and beauty company.

L'Oreal has 1,892 patents in the USA, about 75% of the number that is currently claimed by Gillette.


Gillette's latest patent application has nothing to do with shaving, it's Fuel Sources, Fuel Cells and Methods of Operating Fuel Cells from 3/26/2009:

Fuel sources, fuel cells and methods of operating fuel cells are disclosed. In one aspect, the invention features a fuel source for a fuel cell, including a housing made substantially from a fuel-permeable material, and a fuel in the housing.

So there you have it, for this week's Patent Faceoff:

Gillette: 2,568
versus
L'Oreal: 1,892.

---

Have a Patent/Know About a Patent you want us to spotlight in our blog? Email plaque [@] freepatentsonline.com. And check out http://www.freepatentsonline.com/ : All the Inventions of Mankind.