Patent Law

A Mizuno Golf Ball Design Patent Issues?. Do They Even Sell Golf Balls?

Posted on July 11, 2008
As I have mentioned in the past, design patents directed to golf balls are not very common, and design patents directed to a particular dimple design are even more rare.Well, last week Mizuno had an interesting golf ball design patent issue; namely USPN D572322 titled ?Golf Ball...

Can You Identify These Callaway Irons?

Posted on July 09, 2008
I bet that at least 77% of golfers will not recognize the following iron. Heck, I will even tell you that it is a Callaway club. Do you recognize the product line?You can click here for the answer, and click here to check out USPN D572781 titled ?Iron Golf Club Head,? which issued yesterday...

Club Face Adjustability, Is It The Next Big Thing?

Posted on July 08, 2008
Almost a year ago I published a post on what may be the next step in club head adjustability; namely, coefficient of restitution (COR) adjustability, or the ability to adjust the stiffness of club?s face. Interested? The prior post posed the following hypothetical:Perhaps you really loosen up the face during your practice rounds to gain a few extra yards and carry those fairway bunkers, then turn around the next day and bring it back into USGA conformance for the club championship...

Another Putter Design Patent?.. Can You Identify This Putter? A Tough One

Posted on July 05, 2008
How good are you at identifying a particular brand of putter when all the logos and trademarks are stripped off the club head? I was starting to think that I was pretty good at it until coming across USPN D571878 titled ?Golf Putter Head.? The figures below come from the ?878 patent that issued recently to a major producer of clubs...

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The Swiss Army Knife of Golf Inventions

Posted on July 05, 2008
How many possible uses for a ?portable golf caddy? can you think of? Perhaps two or three? Well, a recently published patent application discloses a ?portable golf caddy? invention that has at least 10 different uses. While I can?t imagine ever purchasing the device, it is the type of gift that you may receive from the non-golfer in your life (so there may be a market for it)...

Don?t Use the Ryder Cup® Trademark Without Approval of the PGA of America; They Will Sue!

Posted on July 02, 2008
An interesting golf trademark infringement lawsuit was filed this week. The Professional Golfers? Association of America (The PGA of America) sued Scottish Golf Holidays for the unauthorized use of the RYDER CUP registered trademark. In fact, this is the second time The PGA of America has sued Scottish Golf Holidays in one year!Click HERE to review the actual Complaint...

ProV1 Litigation Update ? Callaway Responds With Their Own Letter to the Court

Posted on July 02, 2008
As I reported earlier this week (read post HERE), a recent letter from Acushnet?s attorney to the Court provided a nice status report regarding the reexamination progress. Well, Callaway did not let any grass grow under their feet before filing their own letter to the Court providing a different view of the situation...

ProV1 Patent Litigation Update ? Will Any of the Patents-in-Suit Survive Reexamination?

Posted on July 01, 2008
The Callaway v. Titleist (Acushnet) golf ball battle has been pending for a couple of years now, so a quick refresher is in order. Back in December a jury found that 8 of the 9 claims in the 4 patents-in-suit were valid, and therefore infringed by Acushnet (click HERE to read the post on the verdict)...

Remember the Golf Ball Gun from ?Fore Inventors Only? Fame?

Posted on July 01, 2008
Ahh, the good old days?. Remember that crazy golf ball gun from the ?Fore Inventors Only? show that looked as if Stina broke her hand when she fired it? Here is my review from my prior post.12) Golf Ball LauncherPanel: packin?The IP Golf Guy?s Evaluation: Marketability: double bogeyProtectability: double bogeyNotes: The inventor mentioned that the device is ?patent pending,? so I thought I would check it out...

The Future of Golf Grips? Survey Says, Not Likely

Posted on June 29, 2008
An interesting golf grip patent application recently published as US Pub. No. 20080127459 titled ?Apparatus For Gripping An Instrument Having An Elongate Handle.? I wonder what the USGA would have to say about this grip. The application describes the invention as:A device for gripping the handle of an instrument such as a golf club or a hammer...

Can You Identify This Putter? Test Your Knowledge of Golf Putter Designs

Posted on June 28, 2008
As you know, Golf-Patents.com has repeatedly used putter design patents to test your knowledge of putters (click here to satisfy your hunger for putter patent posts). The figure below come from a US putter design patent that issued recently to a major producer of clubs...

Finally, Just What Every Golfer Has Been Waiting For?.. The Golf Club Urinal

Posted on June 27, 2008
I recently saw a post on a golf blog about the UROClub and chuckled (sorry, can?t recall which blog it was). Then almost fell out of my chair when a few weeks later I came across a published patent application on the device. The patent application published as US Pub...

The Hybrid Recognition Test of the Day?.. Can You Identify This Hybrid?

Posted on June 27, 2008
Hybrids, iron-woods, rescue clubs, utility clubs, ..... whatever you call them, it seems as though their popularity is growing every year. The following figures come from a design patent directed to a hybrid. Can you identify the manufacturer?  You can click here for the answer, and click here to check out USPN D571882 titled ?Golf Club Head...

Yet Another Swing Training Aid?. Yet Another One That I Would Try At Least Once

Posted on June 26, 2008
I often wonder, ?is there money to be made in golf training products?? There must be because the number of golf training aid patent applications is through the roof!A recent training aid patent application published as US Pub. No. 20080139332 titled ?Golf Training Aid,? and describes the invention as:A golf driving and putting training aid comprises a driving module, a short-putt module, and a long-putt module...

Some Golf Club Inventions Make Me Shake My Head and Say?. Even If It Were USGA Conforming, There is No Way This Club Would Help My Game

Posted on June 26, 2008
That is just what I said when I came across one rather unique golf club disclosed in recently published patent application US Pub. No. 20080132349 titled ?Golf Club Head having Concavely Curved Face.? Check out these drawings!The application describes the invention as:A golf club, particularly a "putter" or "chipper", is provided with a concave ball striking face that establishes line contact with a golf ball rather than the usual point contact and enhances the capability of a user to control the direction of ball movement resulting from a golf stroke...

If You Can Identify This Set of Irons Then You Know Your Clubs!

Posted on June 19, 2008
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 I bet that most readers cannot identify this set of irons...

A Look Inside the Callaway versus Acushnet Golf CLUB Patent Infringement Litigation

Posted on June 19, 2008
Most non-lawyers are blown away by the costs of patent litigation. Ever wonder why litigation is so expensive? Aside from the filing of motion, after motion, after motion?.. the real costs of patent litigation are associated with the ?discovery? efforts of the parties...

The Continued Quest for the Perfect Putter. Would You Be Willing to Put this Putter in Your Bag?

Posted on June 19, 2008
Check out this putter that was granted a utility patent this week.I bet you didn?t think that was the side of the putter designed to strike the ball!The patent is USPN 7387576 titled ?Golf Club,? and describes the invention as:The invention provides a golf club, generally indicated by reference numeral (10)...

A Golf Cart Invention for Cigar Smokers

Posted on June 17, 2008
An interesting golf cart patent issued today combining two loves of many people. Golf and cigars! The patent is USPN 7387127 titled ?Cigar Holder for Golf Cart? and describes the invention as:A cigar holder assembly is provided for golf carts utilizing biased clasps to hold one or more cigars in a vertical position over a removable ashtray...

A New Callaway Fairway Wood? Perhaps

Posted on June 16, 2008
A few weeks ago a Callaway design patent issued that made me scratch my head and say ?what club is that?. I don?t immediately recognize it so it must be one for the ladies or the juniors.? Well, I still don?t know, but it definitely has a sole configuration unlike any clubs they currently have in the US market...

Acushnet?s Attempt to Counter the Counterfeit Golf Ball Industry

Posted on June 14, 2008
How do you know if your expensive golf balls are authentic? Well, aside from any questionable blemishes in the cover, you probably don?t. Apparently Acushnet?s engineers and scientists have been working on developing a solution to this problem.This week an Acushnet patent application published as US Pub...

Is This Callaway Driver Radical Enough for You?

Posted on June 13, 2008
Earlier this week I posted about a Taylor Made patent application disclosing a pretty radical driver with fins. Well, Callaway has stepped up to the plate this week with a patent application disclosing a driver that is even more radical! Check out this Callaway driver design!The published patent application that may be giving us a sneak peak at future Callaway drivers published yesterday as US Pub...

Need to Increase Your Swing Speed? This Golf Training Invention May Be What You Need, But Will You Be Embarrassed to Use it in Public

Posted on June 11, 2008
Would you ever expect to see the term ?drag chute? used in a golf training aid patent? Well, check out the description and drawings of the invention found in USPN 7384344 titled ?Physical Conditioning Aid for Golfers:?A physical conditioning device for golfers is provided...

The Future of Taylor Made Drivers? Will This Design Ever Make it to Store Shelves?

Posted on June 10, 2008
I never thought I would live to see the day that a Taylor Made driver had fins! OK, I haven?t actually seen fins on a Taylor Made driver; just drawings of a finned driver from a Taylor Made patent application. If a finned Taylor Made driver does make it to market I am sure they will make it look cool and will overwhelm golfers with enough marketing hype that we all end up believing that we can?t live without it...

An Interesting Putter Utility Patent Issued Yesterday. Can It Correct ?Inherent Visual Inaccuracies??

Posted on June 10, 2008
Check out this putter that was granted a utility patent yesterday.The patent is USPN 7384345 titled ?Golf Putter with Rotary Disc Alignment Aid,? and describes the invention as:A putter head (1) is described wherein the putter head (1) has a putter face (4) and a linear marking (9) located on an upper surface (44) of the putter head (1)...

I Would Be Afraid to Use the Golf Grip Found in this Recently Issued Golf Grip Patent

Posted on June 06, 2008
Last week an interesting training golf grip was granted a design patent, namely USPN D569939 titled ?Golf Grip.? Check out these figures:Frankly, I think I would be too worried about breaking a wrist or finger to concentrate on the correct hand position...

A PING Patent Issues on a Driver that You Probably Will Not Recognize

Posted on June 06, 2008
The figures below come from a driver design patent that recently issued to Karsten. I bet you can't identify this PING driver!You can click here for the answer, and click here to check out USPN D569937 titled ?Golf Driver Head.? Dave Dawsey  - Watching Golf Design PatentsPS ? click here to check out another post for future golf equipment gear heads

A Vibration Reducing Golf Glove?. Sound Pretty Good?

Posted on June 05, 2008
Few golfers ever consider the time and effort that has gone into the design of the golf glove they use and abuse until it is so worn, tattered, and sweat stained that it is callously discarded in the nearest trash can. Perhaps this post will help you ?appreciate? your golf glove as a unique piece of golf technology designed to improve your game, rather than simply that crumbled up crusty piece of leather and Velcro that is stuffed into your golf bag after the round...

Design Patent Issues on 2-Finger Golf Glove

Posted on June 05, 2008
Check out the golf glove contained in USPN D570056 titled ?Golf Glove.?Interesting glove, but I am not sure what aspects are ornamental versus functional (a key aspect of design patents versus utility patents).Dave Dawsey  - Keeping an Eye on Golf Glove PatentsPS ? check out other golf glove related posts here

A Second Golf Bag Related Patent Infringement Litigation Case in Less than 2 Months! This Time Bag Boy Takes on Sun Mountain

Posted on June 03, 2008
Last week Dynamic Brands, LLC (doing business as The Bag Boy Company) brought a declaratory judgment action against Sun Mountain Sports regarding Sun Mountain?s patent USPN 7131534 titled ?Golf Bag and Strap System.? Click HERE to check out the patent, and click HERE to read the Complaint...

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