Patent Law

Toss Out Your GPS, Forget About Laser Range Finders, Is This the Next Big Thing in Range Finders?

Posted on June 22, 2009
Technically challenged? If so, a recently published patent application describes a range finder that may be perfect for you. The patent application (US Pub. No. 20090151177) describes the invention as:Range finder for determining the distance between the user and an object of known height or width, such as a golf flagstick, structure, etc...

A PING Golf Bag That Would Sell, But Would You Want a Golfer in Your Group to Have One?

Posted on June 20, 2009
I have no doubt that young golfers would buy the PING golf bag described in a patent application that published this week as US Pub. No. 20090152144 titled ?Golf Bag Having Shoulder Strap With An Electronic Device.? The application described the invention as:A golf bag having a shoulder strap with a pocket for housing an electronic device such as an MP3 player, a radio, CD player, cassette player, and like devices...

Will Callaway Move Away from Their HEX Aerodynamics Technology?

Posted on June 18, 2009
Most golfers can look at a pile of unlabeled golf balls and easily identify the Callaway balls because of their unique HEX aerodynamic technology; but in the future will we be seeing more traditional circular dimples on Callaway balls? One could be led to that conclusion after reading a Callaway golf ball patent that issued this week as USPN 7547259 titled ?Aerodynamic Pattern for a Golf Ball...

Could It Be the New PING G15 or i15?

Posted on June 16, 2009
Karsten Manufacturing, maker of PING brand golf clubs, had 3 design patents issue today. Interestingly, the patent applications were filed less than 5 months ago, leading me to believe that these patents may give us a peak at some new PING products in the pipeline...

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Professional Golfers and Related Agents Need to Act Today to Avoid Facebook Hassles

Posted on June 12, 2009
I have authored many posts regarding celebrity athletes protecting their brands via the trademark system. You may check out a few here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here. Well, now it is time for these celebriletes (yes, I just made that word up) to take the next step to prevent others from snatching up a new Facebook vanity URL incorporating their trademarks...

Test Your MOI Knowledge & Check Out Some Creative Acushnet Club Head Designs

Posted on June 12, 2009
In the past I have profiled some rather unusual, some may say unique, golf club designs by Callaway, Taylor Made, and Bridgestone; however I have never reported on any Acushnet patent applications disclosing club head designs that lean toward the unconventional...

Hot Product or Flop Product? Now This is a True Sunday Bag!

Posted on June 11, 2009
It doesn?t take a lot to explain this golf bag invention, check it out! The invention is described in a patent application that published today as US Pub. No. 20090145787 titled ?Golf Bag.? The application explains the need for the invention as follows:[0003] Transport to and from the golf sport facilities can of course be carried out in many different ways, but some ways of transportation are associated with certain problems...

Adidas, TaylorMade, Callaway, and Ecco Sued for Golf Shoe Spike Patent Infringement

Posted on June 09, 2009
Many golfers would be surprised by the amount of litigation concerning patents on golf shoe spikes; just check out these prior posts (post 1, post 2). In the latest round of litigation Greenkeepers takes on Adidas, TaylorMade, Callaway, and Ecco. These defendants are in good company in that Acushnet, Softspikes, Nike, and MacNeil Engineering (maker of Champ Spikes) have all also been sued by Greenskeepers...

Is Callaway Getting into the Movable Weight Technology (MWT) Game? Is this Callaway?s new Wing Notch Weighting (WNW)?

Posted on June 05, 2009
Roughly one year ago I noticed that Callaway had filed a trademark application for the WING NOTCH WEIGHTING mark. What could it be? Well, this week a Callaway patent application published that may give us a look at the Wing Notch Weighting? system that may be coming out in the new FT 11, or perhaps the FT-MACH 11, FT-JET, or FT-BLACKHAWK...

Cleveland Golf Cracks Down on Unauthorized Online Sales

Posted on June 02, 2009
Since 2008 a pair of eBay sellers have sold over 10,000 Cleveland golf clubs totaling $1.7 million in sales to customers around the world. Not bad! So, why would Cleveland Golf sue them? Because the eBay sellers are ?not, and never have been, Authorized Dealers of Cleveland Golf? and are obtaining ?their clubs from Authorized Dealers who are transshipping the clubs? in breach of their distribution agreements with Cleveland Golf...

Freddie?s New Prototype Bridgestone Driver?

Posted on June 01, 2009
Probably not, but what a radical club for Bridgestone! Check out the driver disclosed in a patent application that published last week as US Pub. No. 20090137338 titled ?Wood-Type Golf Club Head.? The application explains: [0002] The present invention relates to a wood-type golf club head...

Selling Billions of Dollars Worth of Golf Balls Puts a Huge Target on the Back of Acushnet

Posted on May 28, 2009
Titleist?s A.I.M. (Alignment Integrated Marking) sidestamp is coming under fire! As we all know, golf equipment can never have enough acronyms! The A.I.M. sidestamp is that convenient line ending with arrowheads to help golfers align their putts. Lombardi Golf Designs is alleging that the alignment sidestamps on the Titleist Pro V1, Titleist Pro V1x, Titleist NXT Tour, Titleist NXT Extreme, Titleist DT Carry, Titleist DT Roll, Pinnacle Platinum Feel, Pinnacle Platinum Distance, Pinnacle Gold FX Soft, and Pinnacle Gold FX Long, infringe Lombardi?s design patent US Design Patent No...

Would You Game This Driver?

Posted on May 26, 2009
I bet you have never seen a driver like this. Check out the driver design found in design patent USPN D592720 titled ?Golf Club Head,? which issued last week to Jack Hamm (the creator of some unconventional drivers). Would you game it?Dave Dawsey  - Golf?s Intellectual Property LawyerPS ? click here to check out other driver design posts

Interesting Golf Club Grip Invention, But It Is Hard To Believe It Hasn?t Been Done Before

Posted on May 25, 2009
Ever wish you could easily turn your trusted loyal old putter into a face balanced putter? The invention that is disclosed in recently published patent application US Pub. No. 20090131194 titled ?Weighted Golf Club Grips and Shafts? offers one way to achieve the goal...

Can You Identify This Callaway Driver? I Can?t; Perhaps it is a New Driver (or One that Just Didn?t Make the Cut)

Posted on May 21, 2009
A design patent issued yesterday to Callaway that is directed to a driver that I have never seen before. The following drawings come from USPN D592721 titled ?Golf Club Head.?   So, what do you think?. something new, something old, or something that never made it out of R&D?Dave Dawsey  - The IP Golf AttorneyPS ? click here to check out other driver design posts

GolfTech and Edens Technologies Agree on a Patent Infringement Damages Amount, Guess How Much

Posted on May 20, 2009
Following up on my recent post titled ?GolfTech Wins & the Dancin? Dogg Loses?, can you guess the damages associated with Dancin?Dogg personal golf simulator?s infringement of GolfTech?s USPN 6821211 titled ?Sport Swing Analysis System??I would never have guessed, but the parties consented to $743,246! Who knew that these things must sell pretty well...

Golf Balls are Big Business!

Posted on May 19, 2009
One need only look at the list of golf ball patent applications that published last week to get a feel for the competitiveness of the golf ball industry. Last week alone Acushnet had 15 golf ball patent applications publish, SRI Sports (aka Srixon) had 5 golf ball patent applications publish, and Bridgestone had 4 golf ball patent applications publish...

An Interesting Article on PING?s Struggles with the USPTO to Register a Trademark on the CRAZ-E Putter Design

Posted on May 18, 2009
The TTABlog® is a pretty popular blog among IP attorneys. Recently it had a great POST regarding Karsten?s attempt to register the shape of the CRAZ-E putter as a trademark. Check it out.David Dawsey  ? The Golf Trademark AttorneyPS - Why federally register a club head design as a trademark? A registered trademark can last forever, while design and utility patents have fixed terms...

How Efficient is Your Golf Swing? A New Club from Acushnet May Tell You Via a Display Right on the Club

Posted on May 16, 2009
An interesting Acushnet patent application published this week as US Pub. No. 20090120197 titled ?Golf Club Head Comprising a Piezoelectric Sensor.? The application describes the invention as:An apparatus and method for determining the kinematic characteristics of a golf club head are disclosed...

Is it Just a Matter of Time Before Everyone is Wearing This Invention on Their Golf Shoes?

Posted on May 15, 2009
Probably not, but check out this invention! Wow, check out that hosel wrap! When was the last time you had a club that looked like that? The drawings come from a patent application that published yesterday as US Pub. No. 20090119857 titled ?Golf Clubhead Cleaning Device...

Have You Seen the New Rife Drivers?

Posted on May 14, 2009
Well, neither have I.... but a recently published patent application may indicate that Rife Putters is looking to branch out. Today Mr. Rife had a patent application publish that may give us an idea of what he has been thinking about; namely, the soles of metal woods...

An Update on the Latest Golf Ball Patent Infringement Lawsuits

Posted on May 08, 2009
Recall my POST back in March about the ongoing litigation-fest between Callaway and Acushnet regarding golf ball patent infringement? If not, Callaway Golf and Acushnet (aka Titleist) have been keeping golf patent litigation lawyers well fed and nicely clothed for years...

Round 2: Inventions Directed to Controlling the Lower Body During a Golf Swing

Posted on May 07, 2009
Yesterday I posted about an invention designed to keep a golfer?s leading leg under control. Today let?s take a look a recently patented invention designed to keep the trailing leg under control. The invention is found in USPN 7517287 titled ?Golf Swing Improvement Device...

Round 1: Inventions Directed to Controlling the Lower Body During a Golf Swing

Posted on May 06, 2009
What is more important during a golf swing, controlling the movement of your leading leg or your trailing leg? Beats me. Heck, if I knew then I would be a much better golfer.The reason I ask is that the USPTO records reveal two recently disclosed golf training inventions that take different approaches to controlling a golfer?s lower body...

If Priced Under $15, Sign Me Up!

Posted on May 05, 2009
Every now and then I come across a golf training invention disclosed in a patent application that makes me say ?I would buy that (assuming it is priced right).? It happened last week when I came across the invention found in US Pub. No. 20090105004 titled ?Inertially Responsive Golf Club Head Mounted Device for Instructing Correct Club Face Direction & Swing Speed...

Sir Charles, This Invention is for You!

Posted on May 01, 2009
Have you been watching The Haney Project: Charles Barkley show on TGC? If so, you have probably seen Charles hit some decent shots when Hank is standing over him holding his head; and you have probably also seen Charles hit some less than perfect shots as soon as Hank steps away...

Oh No, Has ?The Donald? Given Up On His Dreams of ?The Donald J. Trump World Open??

Posted on April 29, 2009
It is hard to believe that it has been a year and a half since reporting on Donald?s intent to host ?The Donald J. Trump World Open.? Well, it appears that he may have given up on that dream. After 30 months to submit proof of his use of the THE DONALD J...

Callaway Received a Patent on the ?C-Shaped Golf Club Head?; Will This Club Actually Make it to the Market?

Posted on April 28, 2009
Recall last year?s post titled ?Is This Callaway Driver Radical Enough for You?? Well, last week Callaway was granted a patent on the ?c-shaped golf club head.? Amazing design! The fact that Callaway paid the fees necessary to get the patent issued makes me think that they may actually produce this club! Heck, I would give it a try...

Comparing Golf Patents to Those of Other Sports

Posted on April 27, 2009
The 12:01 Tuesday blog recently had a great post entitled ?The Sport of the Patent?. The name of the blog (12:01 Tuesday) originates from the fact that every Tuesday after midnight the United States Patent and Trademark Office issues its weekly dose of about 3,500 patents, indicating the vesting of exclusive rights to their inventors or assignees...

Familiar with Golf?s Magic Lines?

Posted on April 23, 2009
The inventor listed on a recently published patent application wants to educate golfers on ?golf?s magic lines.? The application published as US Pub. No. 20090098953 titled ?Method for Teaching a Golf Swing Using Simple Thought Imagery and Very Limited Body Awareness...

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