Golf Club Makers Settle Sprawling 23-Patent Suit

By Mike Curley

Law360 (February 4, 2019, 3:30 PM EST) — Golf club makers Parson Xtreme Golf LLC and TaylorMade Golf Co. Inc. have reached a settlement in a patent infringement suit in Arizona federal court encompassing 23 patents for golf equipment, allowing the two companies to make specific golf products under patent cross-licenses.

The companies jointly filed a notice of dismissal on Friday. The details of the settlement are confidential, the two companies said in a joint statement.

“I’m pleased that we were able to reach an acceptable and amicable resolution to put this case behind us so we can continue focusing on bringing industry leading equipment innovations to the golfer,” TaylorMade Golf CEO David Abeles said in a statement.

The settlement ends a suit filed in September 2017, in which Parson Xtreme Golf accused TaylorMade of selling golf clubs that infringe Parson’s patents for manufacturing golf clubs. TaylorMade countersued in November 2017, claiming that Parson’s patents were invalid and that, in turn, Parsons had infringed TaylorMade’s own patents.

“As a golf equipment innovator, PXG will continue to pursue research and development and obtain patents for our novel club designs in the iron technology space,” Parsons CEO Bob Parsons said in the release. “We will not hesitate to assert those patents in the future.”

In August, the Patent Trial and Appeal Board agreed to review two of the patents in dispute — U.S. Patent Numbers 9,199,143 and 8,961,336 — which deal with the manufacture of golf club heads.

Representatives for Parsons and for TaylorMade could not immediately be reached for comment Monday.

The patents-in-suit include U.S. Patent Numbers 8,961,336; 9,199,143; 9,345,938; 9,346,203; 9,364,727; 9,533,201; 9,610,481; 9,675,853; 9,764,208; 9,468,821; 9,814,952; 8,353,785; 8,932,150; 7,261,646; 7,494,425; 8,096,896; 8,287,402; 9,452,325; 9,839,821.

Parsons is represented by Brian W. LaCorte and Jonathon A. Talcott of Ballard Spahr LLP.

TaylorMade is represented by John Christopher “J.C.” Rozendaal, David Cornwell, Byron Pickard, Richard D. Coller III, Adam LaRock and Joshua I. Miller of Sterne Kessler Goldstein & Fox PLLC and Thomas A. Gilson and K. Reed Willis of Beus Gilbert PLLC.

The case is Parsons Xtreme Golf LLC v. Taylor Made Golf Co. Inc., case number 2:17-cv-03125, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona.

–Editing by Jack Karp.