Acushnet (Titleist parent) Loses to Callway

Over the weekend, Callaway Golf won a patent infringement lawsuit against the parent company of Titleist, Acushnet. Callaway was suing in a claim that stated that Titleist broke the law by infringing on 5 Callaway copyrights in their production of the Pro V1 ball. These copyrights surrounded the technology of making multilayer, solid golf balls.

From the AP:

Jurors found in favor of Callaway on four of the five patents, Callaway spokeswoman Michele Szynal said Friday.

"We have now established in court that our golf ball patents are valid, and that Titleist Pro V1 golf balls infringe those patents," she said.

It's settlement time.

"We will immediately start the process of requesting an appropriate remedy, including injunctive relief and damages."

That is a potentially a lot of money at $55/dozen!

Geoff Shackelford found a blog entry that may be very useful for those of you with either legal experience or a keen eye for golf intellectual property. It explains the findings of the jury in a concise and fairly easy to understand format for anyone.