Steve Garlock quoted in front-page Wall Street Journal story on FURminator’s patent successes

The Wall Street Journal quoted Intellectual Property partner Steve Garlock in a January 7 front-page story detailing FURminator’s string of patent litigation successes.

The article appeared in the storied “A-Hed” slot, a boxed front-page column that features typically lighter news content and is flanked by a signature ink illustration of the topic in question. In this case, it included a small sketch of a FURminator Pet deShedding Tool. 

The story detailed the 20 federal lawsuits FURminator has filed against competitors such as Munchkin Inc. and PetEdge since filing its patent application in 2000. It also noted that most of the suits filed against FURminator have settled, with competitors agreeing to stop selling similar pet grooming products.

FURminator was sold last month to Madison, Wisconsin-based Spectrum Brand Holdings Inc. for $140 million. The company’s new owners declined comment, but Steve Garlock offered up a brief zinger that Wall Street Journal affixed to the very end of the article: “They don’t want to rub anybody’s nose in anything,” Garlock said.

Thompson Coburn's representation of FURminator also includes Alan Norman, Dave Jinkins, and Matt Braunel.

The St. Louis Business Journal also reported on the front-page FURminator story.