More Entertaining Golf Patent Drawings

How many oddities can you spot in this drawing from a patent directed to a golf club for shots within sixty yards of the green?….. The drawing comes from USPN 6605006 titled “Golf Club” which describes the invention as….. ANSWER…. The lesson: if you are going to spend the money to patent your golf invention, at least work with people that are golfers!….

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Is It A New Nike Putter? (Update – Apparently Not)

I will be the first to admit that it is hard to keep up with all the different putter models that are launched every year. In fact, it is often difficult to associate an actual putter product from the major putter producers with many of the newly issued putter design patents. This is due in part that many companies wisely apply for patent protection as soon as a new design looks promising; often before a decision is made as to how, or if, the new design fits into the planned product line-up. This week an interesting Nike putter design patent issued that I could not associate with any of their existing product offerings. The patent is USPN D583431 titled “Golf Club Head.” Check out this nice design….

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A Couple of Christmas Related Golf Inventions

Merry Christmas! I thought I would find some interesting inventions that combine golf and the Christmas spirit. Should be easy, right? Nope, but here are two inventions that have at least some link to Christmas and golf. Would you use a Christmas tree shaped golf club carrier? The inventors of USPN 6032999 titled “Golf Club and Accessory Carrier” hope that you will. Check out this carrier….

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Hotter Than The ProV1 Litigation? Ever Heard Of The Swingless® Golf Club?

Lately the golf patent litigation scene has been a little slow. Perhaps that has changed with an exciting case filed this week concerning golf clubs that I did not know existed. OK, exciting may be a bit of a stretch, but did you know that there is a market for golf clubs that you don’t swing? Check out THIS website to learn about the Swingless® golf club. Also, click HERE to read the Complaint that explains the bizarre relationships among the parties of the lawsuit. The patents at issue are USPN 5522594 titled “Ballistic Impeller Golf Club;” 5816927 titled “Variable Range Device For A Ballistic Impeller Golf Club;” 5924932 titled “Ballistic Impeller Golf Club;” and 6139440 titled “Cartridge holder For A Ballistic Impeller Golf Club.” That’s right…. a ballistic impeller golf club! One of the patents describes the invention as…..

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Do You Sell Used Golf Clubs Online? If So, This Patent Application Should Be Of Interest To You

Ever heard of Global Value Commerce, Inc.? Me neither, but a quick Google search reveals that it is the company that owns and operates the popular GlobalGolf® website. Well, this week GVC had an interesting patent application publish giving us an inside look at some intellectual property that GVC would love to own outright. The patent application published as US Pub. No. 20080313051 titled “Online Preowned Golf Club Sales.” The title alone piqued my interest. The application summarizes the invention as….. It will be interesting to see what the USPTO has to say about this application; and whether it issues as a patent!

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A Practice Putter That Looks Pretty Good

An interesting patent application published this week directed to a training putter. At first I thought it looked crazy, but the more I read about it the more I started to think that it might be a pretty good idea. The application published as US Pub. No. 20080305880 titled “Golf Swing and Putting Stroke Training Device and Method.” Check out this practice putter design…. The application explains….

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New Golf Courses…. Take More Care in Selecting Your Names; It Will Save A Ton of Money in the Long Run!

Golf course developers, please…. please…. take a lesson from almost every other industry in existence. Don’t select a name for a golf course unless you are sure that it can be protected (i.e. obtain federal trademark registration) and enforced to prevent others from using the name….. Why do I make this plea? I see too many avoidable disputes between golf course developers and adjacent real estate developers or agents. The latest dispute involves the Arnold Palmer designed Tradition Golf Club in La Quinta, California. Looks like a nice course (as it should for a $175k initiation fee). Last month the dispute escalated when Tradition Club Associates, LLC sued Tradition Golf Club Sales for false designation of origin; unfair competition under California Business & Professions Code section 17200 et seq. and common law; and common-law passing off…. Here are a few tips that should get those lucky few individuals involved in naming golf courses into the right frame of mind…….

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The IP Golf Guy Discusses “Common Copyright Issues and Myths” on the Small Business Advocate® Radio Program

I was honored to be a guest on the nationally syndicated Small Business Advocate® radio show this morning. Jim Blasingame and I discussed some common copyright issues experienced by small business owners and attempted to debunk some common copyright myths. I have been a fan of Jim’s show for close to 10 years and highly recommend it. Feel free to listen to the interview HERE…..

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Cool Golf Grip Patents Don’t Come Along Everyday, So Check This Out!

This week Eaton Corp., parent company of Golf Pride, was issued a rather interesting golf grip patent. The patent is USPN 7458902 titled “Changeable Golf Grip.” I know…. I also said “what is a CHANGEABLE golf grip?” Before we dive into the invention, a bit of background is in order….. OK, so the idea sounds smart, but how is it implemented? Well, the patent explains…. Interesting concept, but I am not sure I like the part about “a modified (reduced length) golf club shaft.”…..

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Golf Club Shaft Technology, The Least Understood Golf Technology

How well do you understand the technology behind golf club shafts? If you are like most golfers, then you might know a few buzz words like kick point, torque, and flex, but probably don’t understand the impact that various construction techniques have on a shaft’s properties. This post is not intended to explain the ins and outs of shaft technology (after all, there are a lot of people infinitely more qualified than me to explain those things). However, click HERE to learn what those common buzz words actually mean. This post is intended to introduce what may, or may not, be an interesting new shaft construction. The shaft construction is disclosed in a patent application that recently published as US Pub. No. 20080287212 titled “Golf Club Shaft and Method of Fabricating the Same.” The application explains….

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