Is Your Putter Making You a Patent Infringer? Possibly if You Are Putting with a Nike Unitized Techno or a Nike Oz 6

This week Nike Golf was hit with a patent infringement lawsuit by a Mr. Brent Bradford alleging that the Nike Unitized Techno and the Nike Oz 6 infringe two of his putter patents. The patents at issue are USPN /files/22847-21779/USPN_7018304_Putter_Head_Patent.pdf”>7018304. Click

It appears that the broadest claim of the ‘390 patent is as follows. Do you think the Nike putters have all the elements described in the claim?

1. A putter type golf club head including
a body having a heel section, toe section, upper surface, lower surface and striking face terminating with toe and heel edges, further comprising:
a toe wing extending back and away from said striking face toward the toe section of said head, wherein the wing extends laterally beyond the striking face toe edge;
a heel wing extending back and away from said striking face toward the heel section of said head, wherein the wing extends laterally beyond the striking face heel edge;
a recess formed in the body, the toe wing, and
the heel wing and extending from said body into a portion of each wing beyond the extent of the edges of the striking face,
wherein the recess reduces the weight of the body and a portion of each wing; and
a shaft connection located between said wings.

The second patent USPN 7018304 titled “Putter Head” describes the invention as:

A golf putter head includes a primary body member having a striking face with a toe end and a heel end, a top surface and sole. The primary body member includes a toe wing extending back and away from the toe end of the striking face and a heel wing extending back and away from the heel end of the striking. The golf putter head also includes a first weight member extending from the toe wing and a second weight member extending from the heel wing.

It appears that the broadest claim of the ‘304 patent is as follows. Doyou think the Nike putters have all the elements described in the claim?

1. A golf putter head, comprising:
a primary body member having a striking face with a toe end and a heel end, a top surface and sole;
the primary body member including a toe wing extending back and away from the toe end of the striking face at an oblique angle beyond the toe end;
the primary body member also including a heel wing extending back and away from the heel end of the striking at an oblique angle beyond the heel end;
a first weight member extending from the toe wing and a second weight member extending from the heel wing.

It will be interesting to see how this case turns out.

Dave Dawsey   – The IP Golf Guy

PS – click HERE to read more about litigation in the golf industry

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