PXG Bob Parsons Suing TaylorMade for Patent Infrigement

[mvmac]

TaylorMade should counter sue because they were the first to put the adjustable weights on drivers and PXG took it to an Xtreme  

[Foot Wedge]

Patents are a strange animal.  A lot of it comes down to the verbiage of a particular patent and how vague it is to cover similar technologies that while not identical, would infringe on the particular patent.  I think the difference between other clubs filled with a material and PXG is that previous clubs had thick faces and Parsons' irons had thin enough faces to cave upon  without internal structural support.  The elastomer served to support these faces as well as provide sound/feel tuning.  

Taylormade's combination of a thin face with internal foam is where PXG smells foul play.  PXG's patent is probably vague enough to include a thin faced iron that requires the injection of internal supporting material.  Material isn't specified so whether it's elastomer, 'speedfoam', or molasses, it's covered by the patent.  Taylormade's case would be to show that their faces don't need the foam for adequate structural integrity, but rather tuning purposes because, as someone's already pointed out, PXG wasn't the first to do that.

TBH, I have't read the patents in full and my patent knowledge is limited to what I learned towards the end of studying mechanical engineering in college so as always, this is simply my $0.02 and should be taken with a grain of salt.  Just thought it would be an interesting topic to discuss.

[kpaulhus]

6 hours ago, iacas said:

I'm not a lawyer, obviously, but this doesn't feel like the kind of thing PXG will win. TaylorMade could easily show prior art, I think, and end up getting PXG's patents disallowed.

The material isn't the same. The injection process likely isn't the same. The general idea isn't new to PXG.

I don't know what PXG has going for it.

Hype.

 

I agree Taylormade has been doing this for a while. When I first saw the new irons I thought, hmm, they look a lot like the PXG irons but upon further research, it is the opposite. 

[GolfLug]

I think to fill cavities with elastomer is one thing and many examples of it. You can vary density to mess with the COR. Not unique either.

I think the uniqueness may be in filling it and concealing it 100% (Nickent fill is not fully concealed - the three holes expose the polymer). There is aesthetic value to it - makes it look like a true MB while having the benefits of a thin face and having polymer inside. Not sure if that has been done before PXG. 

   

Edited September 14, 2017 by GolfLug

[Lihu]

Actually, after reading this article and watching the video embedded within, I kind of like Bob Parsons.

http://www.golf.com/tour-news/2017/09/13/inside-pxg-patent-suit-taylormade-equipment-company-prove-to-win

I can see why he wants/needs to defend his patents, unfortunately, I don't think he's going to win. . .

[StefanUrkel]

Who are the people that buy these 5000 dollar clubs?

[Lihu]

8 minutes ago, StefanUrkel said:

Who are the people that buy these 5000 dollar clubs?

They are typically post-college graduated parents who love golf so much it's worth spending that kind of money. The same kind who buy a luxury car the day their last kids graduate from college.

Then there are the rich guys who have nothing better to spend their money on a new set of $32,000 gold plated hand finished all titanium CNC clubs with Tungsten inserts. . . The same kind who don't mind losing $100 a round to poorer players like yourself who claim to play bogey***

 

***Yes, I see your index is 6.5

Edited September 15, 2017 by Lihu

[billchao]

28 minutes ago, StefanUrkel said:

Who are the people that buy these 5000 dollar clubs?

Some people have more disposable income than others, what of it?

[nevets88]

Oh, no wonder I automatically disliked Parsons just from a quick glimpse. GoDaddy. On that basis alone, I wouldn't play those clubs if you paid me.

[lastings]

1 hour ago, nevets88 said:

Oh, no wonder I automatically disliked Parsons just from a quick glimpse. GoDaddy. On that basis alone, I wouldn't play those clubs if you paid me.

I bet you would. 

[mvmac]

3 hours ago, StefanUrkel said:

Who are the people that buy these 5000 dollar clubs?

Club fitters like Club Champion, Cool Clubs, Hot Stix are doing very well with PXG.

[lastings]

The PXG xperience is only like 20 grand or so..   no biggie.  

[Mr. Desmond]

A few clubfitters tell me that a lot of golfers who played Miura are now playing PXG - the irons do well.

[Buckeyebowman]

9 hours ago, StefanUrkel said:

Who are the people that buy these 5000 dollar clubs?

Uh, not me!

[WUTiger]

Parsons gets free advertising if he can keep this lawsuit in mainstream news. He's possibly thinking he can benefit from TaylorMade's badguy image for flooding the market with new club designs circa 2014.

But, at $3,000 for a basic iron set, I doubt PXG will rustle that many customers away from TM.

 

[mvmac]

30 minutes ago, WUTiger said:

Parsons gets free advertising if he can keep this lawsuit in mainstream news.

Well I don't know about that, lawsuits are pretty expensive 

[Lihu]

1 hour ago, WUTiger said:

Parsons gets free advertising if he can keep this lawsuit in mainstream news. He's possibly thinking he can benefit from TaylorMade's badguy image for flooding the market with new club designs circa 2014.

But, at $3,000 for a basic iron set, I doubt PXG will rustle that many customers away from TM.

The keyword is "basic" too 

However, it seems like the same likely goes for PXG customers as well?

Club loyalty is a funny thing.

Mizuno players love the "feel" of their clubs and are convinced that they are playing with the same technology as Samurai swords.

Many Ping customers idolize the Eye2.

TM customers are mostly convinced they will gain 20 yards with every new generation of clubs.

Callaway customers are smarter than everyone else. 

It's all just marketing a hunk of steel or titanium or whatever glued to the end of a steel or graphite tube.

[billchao]

7 hours ago, WUTiger said:

Parsons gets free advertising if he can keep this lawsuit in mainstream news. He's possibly thinking he can benefit from TaylorMade's badguy image for flooding the market with new club designs circa 2014.

But, at $3,000 for a basic iron set, I doubt PXG will rustle that many customers away from TM.

Actually it was the opposite, for me. This lawsuit piqued my interest in the P790s. If PXG is good at $3k a set, now you can get a similar set for $1,200 from Taylormade. 

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Update: PXG request for a TRO is denied.