The Acushnet Company (proud parent of Titleist, Cobra, FootJoy, and Pinnacle) filed suit today in Federal District Court in Dallas against golf retailer Academy Sports. The charge? Counterfeiting Pro V1 golf balls.
Acushnet claims that Academy was selling counterfeit Pro V1s in several of their retail locations. Academy Sports has more than 80 stores in the southern U.S. The Pro V1, needless to say, is the top-selling ball in the U.S. and is the most-played ball on the PGA Tour (like we need to tell you that). Acushnet was made aware of the issue by a customer who purchased some counterfeit balls. After verification, other stores were found to have counterfeit balls as well.
Academy, based in Katy, TX, is not an authorized Titleist dealer and most likely came upon some Pro V1s in a “grey” market.
“Counterfeit golf products are a large and growing problem,” said Joseph Nauman, Executive Vice President, Corporate and Legal, for Acushnet. “There are significant quantities of counterfeit golf products – including balls, clubs, bags and gloves – that are appearing in markets around the world. Acushnet Company and other golf equipment manufacturers are investing substantial resources to stop the manufacture and sale of counterfeit product. The protection of our brands and trademarks is one of our top priorities and we will aggressively pursue every situation where they are being violated.”
I heard about this. You know in the used ball bin at my local club there are some titleists that just don’t “look” right. The print is off and the prov1 logo isn’t on the seam. I’m going to try to get my hands on one.
Press Release today, September 3, 2005: