Canada's Kane Biotech Inc. sued Nestlé SA units Nestec SA and Nestlé Purina Petcare Global Resources Inc. for breach of agreements and improper use of its patents.

The six-count complaint, filed with the U.S. federal court in Missouri, says a Nestlé patent application misappropriates certain Kane Biotech patent rights for oral care, personal care and wound care antimicrobial and anti-biofilm technologies.

"Kane Biotech has invested significantly in its intellectual property and it will vigorously protect and defend its interests and the interests of its shareholders against anyone who seeks to profit from it without proper compensation to our corporation," Kane Biotech President and CEO Mark Ahrens-Townsend said in a news release.