Posts Tagged: "golf patents"

ECCO Accuses Skechers of Stealing Soles, Files Patent Infringement Lawsuit in Delaware District Court

Recently, Denmark-based footwear maker ECCO filed a suit alleging claims of patent infringement against Manhattan Beach, CA-based shoemaker Skechers. The suit, filed in the federal district for Delaware, asserts a series of patents owned by the Danish shoemaker which cover aspects of golf shoes which have been commercially successful for ECCO in recent years. According to ECCO’s complaint, the alleged claims of infringement by Skechers involve the particular cleat arrangement as well as the structure of the cleats used in the sole in the golf shoes, which are covered by ECCO’s patents.

Manufacturing Firms and Organizations File Briefs in Oil States

Doubtless there are some manufacturing firms, such as Telebrands, who are great endorsers of inter partes review (IPR) proceedings at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) and how that agency has found in favor of copy-cats even as federal courts have repeatedly issued injunctions and found in favor of the inventor of an award winning toy (see here and here).But the manufacturing sector did not all line up in favor of Greene’s Energy Group, although most did. Nevertheless, given that manufacturing firms tend to license patents and do not necessarily develop their own technologies, it is informative to see how this sector feels that the Supreme Court should decide Oil States.

Costco v. Acushnet: Costco’s Preemptive Strike Sets Tone for Litigation

Tensions between Costco Wholesale Corporation (“Costco”) and Acushnet Holdings Corp. (“Acushnet”), maker of the Titleist golf ball, have risen since Costco escalated matters last Friday by filing suit seeking a declaratory judgment in an ongoing dispute between the corporate heavyweights. The most recent in the series of intensifying clashes is over Acushnet’s claims that Costco’s Kirkland Signature (“KS”) golf ball infringes on some eleven (11) Acushnet patents, and that Costco is engaged in false advertising holding the KS golf ball against the Titleist.

Nike Patents Golf Swing Monitoring and Recyclable Golf Balls

A variety of golf balls have been created by the company, from those with large diameters to accommodate golfers who strike the ball incorrectly to balls utilizing a variety of thermoplastic polymers for enhanced characteristics. A series of patent applications we share also discuss athletic performance analysis systems, both for team sports and for monitoring individual workout data… Golfing was again a large focus in Nike’s recent R&D, and we saw patents for golf swing analysis systems as well as a ball with enhanced recycling characteristics. Nike has also patented a digital watch providing feedback on athletic data collected by athletic monitoring systems. A few footwear patents are also discussed below in more detail, including one that protects a sneaker with an enhanced system for lace tightening.

Cooler Innovations

It is still extraordinarily hot throughout most of the United States today. Some relief is on the horizon for tomorrow, at least for the greater Washington, DC and Northern Virginia area, with even more relief next week. After getting up early to go for a long walk with my 5 pound weights in each hand (yes, trying to lose weight) and it was 88 degrees first thing in the morning I knew I had to return to the topic of cool or cold inventions. I know I’m a geek, a nerd and extremely corny! But after the article from yesterday about Cool Wearable Innovations, I couldn’t resist writing an article titled “Cooler Innovation.”