Court Issues Judgment Against Importer Of Knockoff Callaway Golf Clubs
Court Issues Judgment Against Importer Of Knockoff Callaway Golf Clubs
March 13, 2001 at 12:00 AM EST
CONTACT(S): Larry Dorman, Steve McCracken (760) 931-1771
CARLSBAD, Calif., March 13 /PRNewswire/ -- Callaway Golf Company (NYSE: ELY - news) announced today that on March 1, 2001, the United States District Court in Los Angeles, California issued a judgment against Ren-Jei ``R.J.'' Liou, Kent Graphtec (U.S.A.) Corp, and Trophy Sports, LLC, of City of Industry, California. The judgment was entered by Judge Margaret M. Morrow and provides that Liou, Kent Graphtec and Trophy Sports imported and sold golf club components that infringed Callaway Golf's registered trademarks, patents, copyrights, and trade dress, engaged in deceptive and unfair trade practices and unfair competition, and breached a 1997 settlement agreement with Callaway Golf. The court ordered the defendants to cease selling infringing golf club heads and violating Callaway Golf's intellectual property rights. The judgment also requires that the defendants pay Callaway Golf $20,000.00 in damages and turn over their inventory of infringing golf club components to Callaway Golf for destruction. The defendants have already turned over more than 11,500 golf club heads to Callaway Golf and have paid the damage award.
Callaway Golf Company makes and sells Big Bertha® Metal Woods and Irons, including Big Bertha ERC™ II Forged Titanium Drivers, Big Bertha Hawk Eye® VFT™ and Big Bertha Hawk Eye VFT Pro Series Titanium Drivers and Fairway Woods, Big Bertha Steelhead Plus™ Stainless Steel Drivers and Fairway Woods, Hawk Eye Tungsten Injected™ Titanium Irons, Steelhead™ X-14® and Steelhead X-14 Pro Series Stainless Steel Irons. Callaway Golf Company also makes and sells Odyssey® Putters, including White Hot®, TriHot™, and Dual Force® Putters. Callaway Golf Company makes and sells the Callaway Golf® ``Rule 35®'' Firmfeel™ and Softfeel™ golf balls, and the CB1™ Red golf ball. For more information about Callaway Golf Company, please visit our Web sites at www.callawaygolf.com, www.callawaygolfball.com and www.odysseygolf.com.