In this blog I will be discussing the patent dispute between Acushnet Company and Callaway golf. Callaway golf filed a lawsuit asserting that Acushnet’s Titleist Pro V1 golf balls infringed on four Callaway patents. This lawsuit has been going on for more than five years and finally the U.S District Court provided its final decision in favor of Acushnet Company. But originally the courts decided in Callaway’s favor in December of 2007. The Pro V1 golf ball is the most recognized golf ball in the golf industry and I feel that it will always be some kind of dispute over a company taking another company’s patent on a golf design because there is only so much you can do with golf equipment. So even if it is not the exact same design the human eye cannot tell the difference between the two.
The Pro V1 golf ball has generated over $1 billion in sales and I could see why there would be a dispute over the patent. I believe this is a rare situation where both companies were developing the same product at the same time. Once both companies figured out one another were creating the next big thing in golf technology they both rushed to get a patent done and Acushnet beat Callaway to the punch. According to Golfdigest.com, “Acushnet said it received its first patent covering this technology on March 3, 1999 while the oldest of the four Callaway patents at issue was not filed until December 12, 1999 and issued on March 15, 2001.” Since the court has made its final decision on this dispute I feel that Callaway will now file some sort of civil dispute and a monetary settlement will be made between the two companies.
Anderson, Charis (2011) http://www.southcoasttoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20110422/NEWS/110429973/-1/NEWS10
Johnson, Michael Stachura, Mike (2007) http://www.golfdigest.com/golf-tours-news/2007-12/20071214callawaylawsuit
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