NEW YORK (LOOTPRESS) — A legal battle is underway between America’s leading battery brands as Duracell filed a federal lawsuit against Energizer, accusing the company of misleading advertising over battery performance.
The lawsuit, filed on June 13 in U.S. District Court in Manhattan, claims that Energizer’s recent marketing campaign falsely promotes that its Energizer MAX batteries last 10% longer than Duracell Power Boost batteries. Duracell, owned by Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway, argues the claim is deceptive and damages its reputation and consumer trust.
Duracell contends that Energizer’s 10% claim is based solely on a narrow performance test of AA batteries under a single industry standard. However, battery life can vary depending on usage and test conditions, and Duracell says Energizer omitted this context in its advertising.
In one YouTube ad cited in the lawsuit, the Energizer Bunny squares off with a Duracell look-alike battery, with the narrator declaring, “There’s no competition. Energizer MAX outlasts Duracell Power Boost by 10%. No fluff, just facts.”
Duracell calls the ad campaign a “blatantly false” attempt to mislead consumers and gain market share by unfairly discrediting its products. The company is asking the court to stop the advertisements and is seeking monetary damages.
The lawsuit marks a new chapter in the long-standing rivalry between the two battery giants as they compete for dominance in a highly competitive consumer market.
