Business Notes Imports

American companies often take legal action to keep imported knock-offs of their products out of the U.S. But Lever Bros., the second largest American soapmaker, sued the Customs Service last week to block U.S. sales of goods produced by its sister company, London-based Lever Bros. Ltd. (Both are subsidiaries of Unilever, a British-Dutch consortium.) In 1983 the American Lever Bros. was enjoying splashy sales of its Shield deodorant soap and Sunlight dishwashing detergent when products with the same names began appearing at discount prices. Manufactured by the British Lever Bros., the soaps had been shipped to the U.S. by unauthorized middlemen. The U.S. firm complains that the British products have proved unsuited to American tastes and have thus driven away customers, costing it $5 million in sales. One charge: the British Shield is less effective at stopping B.O.