Does the Golf Shoe of the Future Include a Sensor, a Controller, and an Active-Response Element? Acushnet May Think So…

Until recently golf shoes were not considered high-tech, but that is rapidly changing. For instance, on Christmas day Acushnet was granted a fascinating golf shoe patent that may give us a look at the future of golf shoes. Can you imagine a shoe that automatically knows when you are walking and when you are hitting, then adjusts the shoe accordingly? Amazing, right! So amazing in fact that you may not believe that the invention disclosed in USPN 7310895 titled “Shoe with Sensors, Controller and Active-Response Elements and Method for Use Thereof” can actually be implemented in a consumer product. The patent describes the invention as……. Check out these figures from the patent….

Read more

Interesting Golf Ball Retriever Patent Issues

This is the first Golf-Patents post directed to a golf ball retriever! Pretty exciting? Not really; but it is mildly interesting.
The patent is USPN 7311345 titled “Golf Ball Retriever” and describes the invention as…(description)…
I bet you never thought about posterior and anterior fingers as you fished a ball out of the local water hazard! Check out these figures from the patent….

Read more

Have You Been Looking for a Single Finger Golf Glove? If So, You May be in Luck… A Design Patent Directed to a Single Finger Golf Glove Issued Today

Interesting golf glove patents are few and far between. In fact, there have only been a handful of posts related to golf gloves in the past year (here, here, here, and here). Today an interesting design patent issued on a single finger golf glove… a what? That’s right… a single finger golf glove. The patent is USPN D558405 titled “Single Finger Golf Glove.” Check out this figure from the patent…

Read more

Clone Club Makers Are Coming Under Fire Again… Nike Accuses Several Defendants of Infringing 15 Design Patents

Last month I reported on Callaway taking on the clones (click here to review); this week Nike filed a lawsuit taking on the clones (Illinois Northern District Court; 07-c-7108). On December 18th Nike sued King Sports, Inc. dba Turbo Power Golf, Hung Ying Chang, Krookedstix, Inc., and Gigagolf, Inc.. Thus, King Sports is now defending itself against Callaway and Nike! How would you like to be in that position? Click HERE to read the Complaint. I encourage you to check it out because it includes lots of drawings and photographs showing the allegedly infringing products next to the design patent drawings. The 15 design patents involved in the lawsuit include….
Could the lawsuits by Callaway and Nike be the demise of the clone golf club industry?

Read more

The Mesquite Nevada Golf Course Trademark War… Wolf Creek versus Hidden Wolf

Are you familiar with the Wolf Creek Golf Club in Mesquite Nevada? I had the pleasure of playing Wolf Creek a few years ago and it truly is an amazing course. That said, on Tuesday the owners of Wolf Creek filed a trademark infringement lawsuit against the owners and developers of a 750 acre planned residential community that is adjacent to Wolf Creek. The problem is that the development is named “Hidden Wolf.” (District Court of Nevada, 2:07-cv-01701)
Click HERE to view the Complaint, and click HERE to view the associated exhibits.
Apparently this is not the first lawsuit involving these two parties. Originally the developers planned to call the community “Wolf Creek Estates,” which resulted in a lawsuit ending with two Temporary Restraining Orders and a Stipulated Permanent Injunction. The current lawsuit alleges Unfair Competition (False Advertising), Unfair Competition (False Designation of Origin), Trademark Infringement (federal, state, and common law), and Deceptive Trade Practices.
Looks like a nice place to live …

Read more

SkyHawke’s SkyCaddie Products Will Not Be Pulled Off the Shelves… (Thus, I Don’t Have to Eat My Words)

The Court has ruled on GPS Industries’ Motion for Preliminary Injunction … DENIED! (Click HERE to read the Order)…… I gave GPS Industries a 25% chance (at best) of success on the preliminary injunction and stated that I would purchase a handheld GPS unit from a licensee of GPS Industries if I were wrong. Needless to say, I will not have to make that purchase. Now, don’t read too much into this ruling… it is very difficult to obtain a preliminary injunction….

Read more

PING Awarded Interesting Golf Bag Related Design Patents

In the past I have commented on my surprise at the lack of patents directed to golf bags. This is particularly true for design patents; which are a perfect way to protect unique ornamental design features of golf bags. Well, yesterday two interesting design patents issued that are related to golf bags… more specifically, the patents are directed those hard plastic dividers at the top of carry bags that keep your sticks nicely separated and organized. Karsten Manufacturing (aka PING) was granted USPN D557501 and USPN D557502, both titled “Golf Bag Divider Top.” The following figures come from the patents….(figures)…. Great illustration of smart design patent utilization!

Read more

A Leather Grip Patent and Trademark Infringement Battle is Brewing

Recently, The Grip Master Co. Pty Ltd. of Australia filed a lawsuit against TheGripMasterUSA of Texas alleging willful patent and trademark infringement (in addition to an allegation of fraud on the USPTO). Click HERE to review the actual Complaint. The patent at the center of the dispute is USPN 6449803 titled “Grip for a Handle or Shaft.” The patent is directed to an underlisting (or core) designed for wrapped grips, as seen below…

Read more

The Golf Club Patent Infringement Battle between TaylorMade and Callaway is Over

I have been following the golf club patent battle between Callaway and TalyorMade since it was filed back in August. Check out these previous posts for a little background ( post 1, post 2, post 3). Well, apparently it is now officially over; which can only be good for golfers. Click HERE for the official press release. Not a lot of details. I will keep my eyes on the court filings to see if they offer any additional information.

Read more

The Verdict: Callaway Golf v. Acushnet Golf Ball Patent Infringement Litigation

After 7 days of trial the verdict is in and the jury has ruled that 8 out of 9 of Callaway’s patent claims are valid! Acushnet already stipulated that it did infringe the claims of the patents; therefore the issue for the jury was whether or
not the claims are valid. Unfortunately for Acushnet, patents are presumed valid and the burden of proof required to establish
invalidity is high. In fact, the jury was instructed that Acushnet has the burden of proving that each one of the asserted claims of the patents-in-suit …

Read more

How Well Do You Know Fairway Woods? An Interesting Design Patent Issued Yesterday on a Popular Fairway Wood

If you strip all the logos off a golf club head, the typical avid golfer can usually identify the manufacturer of the popular drivers… often the popular irons… and sometimes the popular
putters… but rarely the fairway woods of the large golf companies (unless they incorporate distinctive design features from the drivers of the product line). Can you identify the producer of this fairway wood?

Read more

The Golf Patent Infringement Trial of the Year (Callaway Golf v. Acushnet); Apparently Phil Mickelson Isn’t Concerned with Burning Bridges

The Callaway Golf versus Acushnet golf ball patent infringement trial is in full swing. In fact, Acushnet’s case-in-chief was completed today. In accordance with a Court order, Callaway has filed a “Proffer Regarding the Rebuttal Testimony of Phil Mickelson.” In other words, the Court essentially said that upon the close of Acushnet’s case, Callaway would have the opportunity to convince the Court that Callaway should be allowed to put Phil Mickelson on the stand to testify. Click here to view Callaway’s proffer. The proffer contains some good mudslinging, check it out! Did you know that Mickelson threatened to terminate his contract with Acushnet unless Acushnet came out with a solid ball to compete with Callaway Golf’s Rule 35 ball? I hope that this trial makes it all the way to a verdict!

Read more

Dogleg Right Sues TaylorMade Golf for Patent Infringement of Two Golf Club Patents

Yesterday Dogleg Right sued TaylorMade Golf alleging infringement of two patents directed to CG customizable golf clubs. Talk about taking on the 800 pound gorilla! Click here to view the Complaint that was filed in the Eastern District of Texas on December 7th. The patents-in-suit are USPN 7004852 and USPN 7189169, both titled “Customizable Center-of-Gravity Golf Club Head.” It should be fun to watch this lawsuit play out.

Read more

Check Your Divot Repair Tool… You May Be A Patent Infringer

Are you familiar with the GreenFix divot repair tool? I previously posted about the issuance of a patent (USPN 7238126) directed to the GreenFix tool back in July. Well, it did not take long for GreenFix to size up the imitators; in fact, GreenFix filed a patent infringement lawsuit within 3 months of the patent issuing. In a Complaint filed on September 28th, GreenFix alleges that Ahead, Inc. willfully infringed the patent. While the Complaint does not name a particular Ahead product, I suspect that it is the TurfDoc divot tool that GreenFix believes to be infringing the patent. Interestingly, the Complaint is only 5 pages yet contains a glaring error… can you identify it? (scroll way down in this post and I reveal the answer)

Read more

GolfTech Jumps Into the Golf Patent Infringement Litigation Arena with “Sport Swing Analysis System” Patent

The GolfTech that recently filed a patent infringement lawsuit probably isn’t the one that you are thinking of. The patent infringement plaintiff is not the golfTEC teaching franchise, but rather the owner of USPN 6821211 titled “Sport Swing Analysis System” and licensor of the technology for the P3ProSwing golf simulator and swing analyzer. The defendant in the case, Edens Technologies LLC, is accused of infringing the ‘211 patent with their Dancin’Dogg personal golf simulator. The Complaint even goes so far as to state “…defendant Edens Technologies, LLC, doing business as DancinDogg Golf (“DancinDogg”) is marketing a cheap knock-off of the P3ProSwing™ simulator which infringes the ‘211 patent.”…..

Read more

“The court respectfully disagrees with the conclusion of the PTO…”; Callaway v. Acushnet Lawsuit Gets Interesting as Court Grants 2 of Callaway’s Motions for Summary Judgment and Denies 3 of Acushnet’s Motions for Summary Judgment

A recent Order by the Delaware District Court has dealt a significant blow to Acushnet, leading one to wonder whether Acushnet will be forced to settle a second golf ball patent infringement case this year. On November 20th the court issued a one page order stating the following…(list)… While the hotlinks above take you to the actual court order and the parties filings, the real interesting reading material is found in the court’s 30 page Memorandum Opinion. I encourage you to read through it because is does an excellent job of explaining the case, many of the key issues, and the court’s thoughts. (I knew that if I waited long enough the court would nicely summarize the case for me)… After reading the Memorandum Opinion ask yourself… does it seem as though the court feels that one side has a stronger case? It may be a good thing for Acushnet that golfers have been paying an arm and a leg for those Titleist ProV1’s.

Read more
Advertisment ad adsense adlogger