A long standing patent dispute has concluded with a Delaware courtroom finding in favor of the Acushnet Company, maker of the Titleist Pro V1 golf balls. Albeit, the Callaway Golf Co. had contested that specific Titleist golf balls had infringed on four patents originally owned by Spalding and later purchased by Callaway. Accordingly, the jury in the U.S. District Court discarded Callaways $246 million claim that Titleist infringed on any patents owned by the company.
Titleist gained favor of the court after arguing that even though its Pro V1 golf balls infringed the patents, the patents themselves werent enforceable because the design and construction did not represent a new concept or innovation when Spaldings patents were issued in 2001 and 2003. This being said, the Pro V1 golf balls were released to PGA Tour players in October of 2000, well before Spaldings patents were issued.
Callaway attempted to counter with a claim that the company owned rights to a patent which emphasizes the use of multiple layers of different materials inside its golf balls. However, Titleist contended by claiming that multiple layering was an obvious approach to construction.
Callaway plans to appeal the ruling. Although a jury ruled in favor of Callaway in 2006 for three out of the four patents, a later appeal overturned the ruling.
