Philips lose copyright case against competitor for similar-looking electric toothbrush

Boombrush are allowed to continue selling their electric toothbrushes. This was the verdict of the district court in The Hague after Philips had sued the company. The technology company felt that Boombrush’s toothbrush looked too much like theirs and demanded that they be banned from selling the products. The court’s opinion is that there is ample difference between the two products.

Central to the case is the Philips Sonicare DiamondClean toothbrush. The judge stated that the basic shape of the toothbrush is determined by the way it is to be used. But he does see significant differences with the Boombrush model.

For example the ring at the top of the handle of the Philips model is narrower than that of the Boombrush. The handles and the brush heads also do not look exactly the same.

The judge therefore ruled that Boombrush had not infringed the design and copyright rights that Philips believed it had on the DiamondClean toothbrush.