Patent Law

Interesting Golf Shaft Design Patent Issues; Would You Use a Triangular Shaft

Posted on June 03, 2008
This week a fascinating golf shaft design patent issued. The patent is USPN D569940 titled ?Golf Shaft.? Check out this drawing:Interestingly, the design patent also covers a flag pin:So, would you be willing to try this shaft?Dave Dawsey  - The Golf LawyerPS ? click here to check out other interesting golf shaft patents

Which Young Up & Coming Pro Is Taking the Protection of His Personal Brand Seriously?

Posted on May 31, 2008
Can you guess which young golf pro has filed for trademark protection of his name associated with the following products?Golf clubs, golf bags, golf bag covers, golf club head covers, golf bag tags, golf balls, golf ball markers, golf gloves, golf tees, divot repair tools, golf club grips, golf practice mats, golf towels, golf practice nets, golf practice putting cups; toys and dolls, namely, figurines depicting sports celebrityClick here for the answer...

How Well Do You Know Wedges?

Posted on May 31, 2008
This week a wedge design patent issued on a wedge that is more identifiable than a classic Cleveland or Vokey wedge. You should recognize the wedge found in USPN D569932 (titled ?Golf Club Head?) from the ton of advertisements in golf magazines.Click here for the answer...

The Best and Worst Golf Club Names Filed with the USPTO so far in 2008

Posted on May 29, 2008
OK, the title is somewhat misleading?. The following lists of the ?best? and ?worst? US golf club trademarks are really just MY favorite, and least favorite, names for golf clubs. There is nothing ?legal? about it.My favorites are:1. VAPOR: Nike2. OBEDIENT: Simon Golf Company3...

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Think Karsten Manufacturing May Have Something to Say About this Trademark Application?

Posted on May 28, 2008
A trademark application filed in March is likely to get some attention from Karsten Manufacturing (makers PING brand golf clubs). The application is for the mark PING BLING. The application describes the goods associated with the mark as:PING BLING WOULD BE USED FOR DECORATING GOLF EQUIPMENT, SUCH AS GOLF CLUBS, BAGS, BALLS, CLOTHING, SHOES, SOCKS, PANTS, SKIRTS, SHIRTS, BLOUSES, JEWELRY, APPAREL, HATS, BELTS, GLOVES, JACKETS, WITH ADDITIONAL JEWELRY, DECORATIONS, OR FANCY LOGOS IT WOULD ALSO BE USED FOR DECORATING REGULAR CLOTHING, INCLUDING SHOES, SOCKS, PANTS, SKIRTS, GLOVES, JACKETS, HATS, BELTS, JEWELRY,WITH DECORATIONS, JEWELRY, OR FANCY LOGOSSo, does this application pass the common sense test? Do you think the Applicant just might end up facing a lawsuit if they offer these goods under the PING BLING mark?David Dawsey  - Keeping an Eye on Golf Trademarks

The Tables Turn in the GPS Industry? Yet Another GPS Patent Infringement Case

Posted on May 27, 2008
About one year ago I reported that GPS Industries and Optimal IP Holdings filed a patent infringement lawsuit against 10 defendants (3:07CV0831-K, Northern District of Texas, Dallas Division) that I characterized as reading like a Who?s Who of the golfing GPS world...

The Dual Durometer Putter Face Insert Patent

Posted on May 26, 2008
Everyone has heard the marketing hype regarding dual durometer golf grips, but what about putter face inserts? This week PING (actually Karsten) was granted a patent for just that. The patent is USPN 7374499 titled ?Golf Club Head with Dual Durometer Face Insert? and describes the invention as:A golf club head includes a face insert that comprises an insert core made of a relatively hard (high durometer) durable polymer material that is surrounded on at least its rear and side surfaces by an insert shell made of a second softer (lower durometer) polymer material...

Is the 107th US Open Winner Angel Cabrera a Patent Infringer? All PING Rapture Users May Be.....

Posted on May 23, 2008
Ahh, more golf industry patent infringement litigation; the stuff that makes attorneys smile. The PING Rapture is the latest target of patent infringement allegations.Yesterday VyaTek Sports, Inc. sued Ping, Inc. and Karsten Manufacturing Corporations for allegedly infringing two of VyaTek?s patents...

Interesting Putter UTILITY Patent Issues on a Putter that You May Recognize

Posted on May 22, 2008
On Tuesday an interesting utility patent issued on a pretty popular putter design. OK, ?pretty popular? may be a stretch, but it is a pretty "unique", or distinctive, putter that true putter aficionados will likely recognize. The patent is USPN 7374497 titled ?Golf Putter Head With Visual Alignment System...

A Big Week for Driver Design Patents..... Can You Identify This Driver?

Posted on May 21, 2008
Marketing types always say? it is all about brand recognition. I suppose ?brand recognition? is slightly different than ?design patent drawing recognition,? (ok, more than slightly) but they are not entirely unrelated. The following drawings come from a driver design patent that issued yesterday to one of the big guys...

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

Posted on May 21, 2008
I bet that at least 77% of golfers will not recognize this driver. The following drawing comes from a driver design patent that issued recently to one of the big guys. Do you recognize this club? You can click here for the answer, and click here to check out USPN D569464 titled ?Golf Club Head...

The Quest for the Perfect Lighted Golf Ball..... Does It Exist?

Posted on May 16, 2008
A truly playable lighted golf ball?. can it be made? I have my doubts. Last week a lighted golf ball patent application published in which the inventor discloses his view of the ideal lighted golf ball. The application published as US Pub. No. 20080108454 titled ?Golf Ball Containing Photoluminescent Material and a Light Source,? which describes the invention as: A photoluminescent, light-emitting golf ball comprises a substantially solid core with an outer shell, both formed of a light transmissive material...

?An Aid for Viewing a Golf Putting Green to Assist in Discerning the Subtle Variations in the Putting Surface,? Sound Good?

Posted on May 15, 2008
An interesting patent issued on Tuesday that is supposed to assist golfer in reading greens. I reviewed the patent and thought to myself?.. ?I would give those glasses a try.? The patent is USPN 7370960 titled ?Method and Apparatus for Viewing a Golf Putting Green? and describes the invention as:This invention provides binocular eyeglasses that have linear polarizing lenses to be employed by a golfer to examine the surface of a putting green as an aid in deciding the speed and direction of a puffing stroke...

Finally, a ?Jetdrive? Golf Club Head! Can You Imagine Air Leaving Your Club Head at a ?Near Sonic Velocity??

Posted on May 13, 2008
I am not sure what to say about this golf club patent application titled ?Golf Club, Jetdrv Driver for Increased Distance and Accuracy;? other than to say that it is interesting (and it did not result in a patent being issued). The application published as US Pub...

A Putter for the Classic Car Lovers, Especially if You Love the 1957 Chevy

Posted on May 11, 2008
I recently stumbled across a rather interesting putter utility patent that classic car lovers will appreciate. The patent is USPN 5961398 titled ?Golf Club Head Apparatus? and looks like the rear of a 1957 Chevy. Check out this putter:Frankly I am surprised that the inventor obtained a utility patent on this putter since it seems as though the unique attributes are the nonfunctional ornamental design of the putter rather than anything having to do with the utility...

Having Trouble Reading Your Putts? If So, This Invention May Be Just What You Need

Posted on May 11, 2008
Recently a golf related patent application published with the title ?Handheld Device for Determining Golf Ball Trajectory for Putt or Chip Shot and Method Therefore;? namely US Pub. No. 20080102989. I am willing to read anything that has a shot at improving my putting, so I jumped right in to see if I felt this invention could help my game...

A First on the Golf-Patents Blog! Can You Identify this Chipper from the Design Patent Drawings?

Posted on May 06, 2008
As you know, Golf-Patents.com has repeatedly used golf club design patents to test your knowledge of golf clubs. Now for the ultimate test..... a chipper. Who in the world can identify the maker of a chipper? Well, probably only people that actually play this brand; but give it a shot...

Tired of Using a Sweaty Golf Glove? If so, This Invention May be for You

Posted on May 06, 2008
Recently a patent application published with the title ?Golf Cart Glove Holder-Dryer? (US Pub. No. 20080083131). OK, interesting title...... you have my attention. The application goes on to describe the invention as:A thin molded plastic cylinder oval shaped beak opening configured main body to releasable hold an interior wristband of a golf glove along at least a portion of an outer circumference of the main body such that air is directed through the preferably tubular C-shaped neck affixed to the main body and through to the glove...

Can it Be? A Practical Golf Ball Location System

Posted on May 04, 2008
I love reading patent applications directed to inventions designed to eliminate lost golf balls. Such inventions generally appear very impractical, expensive, or involve technology that would be difficult, or impossible, to incorporate into a golf ball; which is what I expected to find when reading a recently published patent application (namely, US Pub...

Now, A Golf Club Patent Statistic That is Hard to Believe (if I had not come up with it myself)

Posted on May 03, 2008
Looking at US golf club patents that have issued in the past 215 years I came to the realization that more golf club head related patents have issued in the past 15 years than in the prior 200 years! I am not surprised by this statistic considering the amount of R&D that currently goes into golf club design compared to the days of non-metal woods...

A Golf Ball Patent Statistic That is Hard to Believe (if I had not come up with it myself)

Posted on May 02, 2008
Looking at US golf ball patents that have issued since the year 1800 I came to the realization that by the end of 2007, more golf ball related patents had issued in the 21st century than the entire 19th and 20th centuries combined! Pretty amazing.David Dawsey  - The IP Golf Guy 

Interesting Patent for Iron Faces Issues to Pixl Golf? Are They Still in Business?

Posted on May 01, 2008
This week an interesting patent issued to a golf company that I did not think was even still in business, namely Pixl Golf (click here for an article on the origins of the company, and click here for a 2003 article on Pixl irons). The patent is USPN 7364513 titled ?Golf Club Head with Inserts for Impact Face,? which describes the invention as:A striking face for golf clubs, such as a driver, iron or putter comprising a plurality of bars retained in the club head body and forming the striking surface...

Check Out This Golf Tee!

Posted on May 01, 2008
Interesting golf tee inventions do not come along every day. Fortunately last month a patent application published that revealed an interesting tee design. Admittedly, it is not necessarily a golf tee that I would buy or use, but it is pretty cool nonetheless...

Holy Mackerel, Could this be the Next New Titleist or Cobra Driver?

Posted on April 29, 2008
Typically when a golf club design patent issues to one of the major equipment players I expect to open it and see a club design that they introduced months ago, but not today. The US Patent and Trademark Office issues patents every Tuesday. Therefore, much of my Tuesday morning is spent reviewing the latest golf related patents, which is always entertaining but rarely do any of the patents really surprise me...

How Well Do You Know Fairway Woods?

Posted on April 27, 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 rarely the fairway woods of the large golf companies...

Callaway Hyper X and Hyper X Tour Added to the List of Clubs Accused of Infringing Acushnet?s Golf Club Patents

Posted on April 26, 2008
As you may recall from a prior post, on June 8, 2007 Callaway filed a golf club patent infringement lawsuit alleging that Acushnet has willfully infringed 5 Callaway patents. Then, as discussed in a subsequent post, on July 12, 2007 Acushnet filed their Answer to the Complaint thereby stating (i) that Acushnet does not infringe the Callaway patents and alleging that the Callaway patents are invalid, and (ii) returned the favor and accusing Callaway of infringing two of Acushnet?s patents...

Does Your Golf Bag Need Some Bling? These Clubs May Be the Answer

Posted on April 26, 2008
Would you ever guess that a patent titled ?Symbolically Reinforced Golf Club Head? would contain this iron design? Bling, bling?The patent is USPN 3814437 titled ?Symbolically Reinforced Golf Club Head.? Interesting.Dave Dawsey  - The Golf Club Lawyer

Can You Imagine Microwave Instructions on a Sleeve of Golf Balls?

Posted on April 24, 2008
Ah, the quest for the perfect golf ball. I keep looking for the one that guarantees to cut my handicap in half. No luck so far.I would never have guessed that the quest may lead me to a golf ball that I microwave to change the phase! Huh?OK, let me explain...

What the Heck is This Contraption? A Rather Unusual Golf Related Device Receives Design Patent

Posted on April 23, 2008
Check out these figures contained in a golf related design patent that issued earlier this month. Can you guess what it is? (scroll way down in the post for the answer)Sorry for the poor image quality, but that is how it appeared in the patent..........

Think You Could Buy a Real Cleveland Wedge for $30? It Would be Nice, But Get Real! Cleveland Golf Sues an Alleged Counterfeiter

Posted on April 19, 2008
Last week Roger Cleveland Golf Company, Inc. filed a lawsuit against Guangdong Yuedragon Casting Company, Ltd. ("Yuedragon") and Jack Dabing Wan ("Wan") alleging that they produced, sold, and shipped counterfeit Cleveland wedges to the United States. The following paragraphs from the Complaint do a good job of explaining the events that led up to the lawsuit:23...

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