A judge has ruled in favor of Quixtar Inc. in three lawsuits involving several of the direct marketer's former distributors, saying Friday they must abide by confidentiality and noncompete clauses until their disagreements with the company can be arbitrated.

Quixtar is the name that Alticor Inc. uses for its U.S. and Canadian direct sales unit that is known elsewhere as Amway Corp. Alticor, which is based in Kent County's Ada Township, announced in June that it will start phasing out the Quixtar name and rebuilding its Amway brand in the United States and Canada.

Kent County Circuit Judge Paul Sullivan issued a preliminary injunction that prohibits the former distributors, which the company refers to as independent business owners, from using their former Quixtar networks for any business-related purpose.