HLL had filed a lawsuit alleging that Reckit Benckiser's campaign for Dettol belittled its popular soap under the brand name Lifebouy, which has been in market for 110 years.
However, high court 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 present campaign of Reckit and Benckiser (manufacturer of Dettol), prima facie, does not amount to disparaging HLL's Lifebuoy. It is not necessary to go into this issue," 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.
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