Callaway Tour iX balls - at the centre of row with Titleist
|
Titleist golf ball maker the Acushnet Company, has filed a counter patent infringement lawsuit in the US court of the District of Delaware, claiming Callaway’s Tour i and Tour iX golf balls infringe nine US patents from Acushnet's portfolio, covering multi-piece, solid core technology.
It's the latest chapter in a long-running dispute between the two golf ball giants who are still wrangling over Callaway Golf's request for an injunction over four Callaway patents claimed to be infringed within Titleist Pro V1 balls and against which Acushnet has appealed
“As the industry leader, we respect the valid intellectual property of others and expect others to respect ours,” said Joe Nauman, for Acushnet. “We believe that disagreements like these are best dealt with between the companies involved and we have repeatedly attempted to resolve these disputes.
"When these discussions failed, Callaway left us with no other course of action but to move forward with this lawsuit. We are hopeful that these matters can be resolved, but we will continue to protect our intellectual property rights.”
Acushnet also announced further actions to 'vigorously defend' against assertions by Callaway that the 2009 Pro V1 and Pro V1x golf balls infringe Callaway’s patent rights.
Acushnet says these claims are without merit, as Acushnet has designed its new Pro V1 models to be outside the claims of all Callaway patents and as a result has asked the court to rule that the patents asserted by Callaway are not infringed and are invalid.
Nauman added: “It’s regrettable that one of our competitors would rather compete in the courtroom than in the pro shop but we are committed to seeing these matters through to appropriate conclusions. While all litigation is uncertain, we remain confident that we will prevail.”
Aussie Geoff Ogilvy used a 20-09 Titleist Pro V1 ball to win the WGC Accenture World Match Play, the week after Phil Mickelson used a Callaway Tour iX ball to claim the Northern Trust Open at Riviera Country Club on the US PGA Tour.
The cases continues...
