Conair lawsuits allege patent infringement at Las Vegas show

Conair Corp. and a subsidiary have filed patent infringement lawsuits against two companies that presented hair-curling products this weekend at an international trade show in Las Vegas.

The lawsuits were filed Sunday in U.S. District Court in Las Vegas against INF Professional, a Canadian corporation; and Le Angelique Inc., which has headquarters in Los Angeles.

According to the lawsuits, “Conair and its subsidiaries have experienced dramatic commercial success worldwide” with Miracurl, promoted under the Babyliss brand and the Curl Secret, promoted under the Conair brand.

“That success has attracted a number of knock-off efforts and attempts to free ride on Conair’s success,” the complaints allege.

According to the lawsuits, the defendants offered to sell “confusingly similar” products at their booths on Sunday at the CosmoProf trade show for beauty technology in Las Vegas.

Conair, which has headquarters in New Jersey, is seeking temporary restraining orders against the defendants.

Contact reporter Carri Geer Thevenot at cgeer@reviewjournal.com or 702-384-8710. Find her on Twitter: @CarriGeer.