American Safety Razor Company Files Patent Infringement Suit.

VERONA, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 4, 1998--American Safety Razor Company (NASDAQ:RAZR) today announced that in order to protect the Company's proprietary interests in intellectual property, the Company has filed a patent infringement suit in the U.S. District Court of the Eastern District of Virginia, Richmond Division, against Universal Razor, Inc., of Los Angeles, California ("Universal"). ASR claims that Universal has infringed two of American Safety Razor's patents, both relating to the Company's MBC(tm) shaving system family of products. The patent infringement suit seeks injunctive relief and monetary damages.

American Safety Razor Company is the leading manufacturer of private-brand and value-priced shaving blades and razors in the United States. The Company's shaving blade and razor products are sold under retailers' private-brand names as well as American Safety Razor's own brands: Personna(R), Gem(R), Flicker(R), LegMate(R),Bump Fighter(R), Treet(R), GEM Blue Star(R), Pal(R), MBC(tm), and Burma Shave(tm). The Company also manufactures and distributes a female shaving system under the Revlon(R) brand licensed from Revlon and sold under the Perfect Finish(tm). The Company also manufactures cotton swabs, cotton balls and puffs, and foot care items which are sold under retailers' private-brand names as well as its own value-priced brands, Megas(R), ACCO(R), and Crystal(R). The Company is also a leading manufacturer of premium and value-priced blades and bladed hand tools, sold primarily under the Personna(R), American Line(tm), and Ardell(tm) brand names, as well as bar soaps for the cosmetic/skin care, pharmaceutical, and department store markets. In addition to its consumer products, American Safety Razor manufactures and markets industrial and specialty and medical blades.