The Acushnet Co., the parent of Titleist, FootJoy and Cobra, plans to appeal a Tokyo court’s decision that its Japanese division infringed on the copyrights of Japan’s Bridgestone Sports Company with its Titleist balls.
According to the Kyodo News International agency, the Tokyo District Court ordered Acushnet Japan Inc. to pay $1.78 billion yen ($20 million) in damages for golf ball patent infringement.
Bridgestone Sports Co. had argued that 11 of Acushnet Co.’s products, including the popular Titleist Pro V1 ball, infringed on its patents regarding solid core golf ball technology.
Acushnet plans to appeal the decision to the Intellectual Property High Court.
“We are naturally disappointed in the court’s ruling but are confident that the Intellectual Property High Court will have a better understanding of our position in this complicated issue,” Joe Nauman, Acushnet Co.’s executive vice president for corporate and legal affairs told the New Bedford (Mass.) Standard-Times newspaper.
“We feel the patent in question is not valid and strongly believe that we should not be responsible for any damages, Nauman said. “Unfortunately, the legal process of proving the invalidity of intellectual property is an intricate and lengthy one. However, we believe it is necessary in this case to defend and affirm our position.”
Acushnet says the court’s decision is limited to sales in Japan for products that have not been sold since early 2006. The ruling has no impact on any Acushnet products currently sold worldwide.
A similar patent infringement lawsuit filed by Bridgestone in the United States ended with a settlement in September 2007, in which Acushnet agreed to pay Bridgestone a licensing fee.
