Acushnet, Henry-Griffitts settle suit

Hayden, Idaho – Henry-Griffitts, Inc. has reached a settlement of its lawsuit against the Acushnet Company, Inc., for infringement of its Golf Club Lie Angle Evaluation Device patent (U.S. Patent No. 4,932,662), according to Jim Hofmeister, president and chief executive officer of Henry-Griffitts.
Terms of the settlement are confidential.

Henry-Griffitts pioneered the club-fitting method and the patented fitting device in question (known as the lie board). U.S. Patent 4,932,662 was issued to Henry-Griffitts, Inc. on June 12, 1990.

The Henry-Griffitts club-fitting method uses swing teachers and proprietary technologies, including the lie board, to evaluate the effect of a golfer’s equipment on his or her swing motion. Once a player’s swing motion has been evaluated, Henry-Griffitts custom-manufactures its clubs according to these individual specifications.

“The Patented Henry-Griffitts fitting device is integral in our fitting process to determine the correct lie angle for each individual golfer,” Hofmeister says. “You can understand why enforcing our patents is so important.

“Henry-Griffitts pioneered custom club fitting more than 20 years ago, and since that time the lie board has been central to the custom-fitting, manufacture and sale of Henry-Griffitts equipment,” Hofmeister continues. “Like any other firm, we depend on technical innovation and the protections of patent law to compete in the marketplace. When those protections have been abrogated, in a sustained and willful way, over such a long period of time, we feel legal action must be taken.”

The complaint, filed Oct. 29, 2004, in the Southern District of California, alleges that The Acushnet Company (parent company of Titleist), The Roger Cleveland Golf Company, and TaylorMade Golf Company have willfully violated and continue to violate U.S. Patent 4,932,662.

Legal actions against The Roger Cleveland Golf Company and TaylorMade Golf Company remain ongoing.