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JOOLA and Proton Agree to Settle Paddle Core Patent Dispute

by Alex E. Weaver on

Proton will continue to sell the affected products through the summer, all of which now include a "Powered by JOOLA" sticker on the packaging

JOOLA and Proton have reached a settlement resolving all claims from the patent infringement suit filed in April.

At the heart of the settlement is JOOLA's Propulsion Core paddle technology. The April filing with the ITC named 11 brands total.

"JOOLA's Propulsion Core technology is the foundation of the modern pickleball paddle, and we are pleased to have reached a resolution with Proton," said Richard Lee, CEO of JOOLA.

"We will continue to pursue fair outcomes with the remaining defendants as we protect the technology we built that defines the modern game."

Proton will continue to sell the affected products through the summer, a press release confirmed. They will be marked with JOOLA's propulsion core patent numbers and will include a "Powered by JOOLA" sticker on the packaging.

Proton will also pay royalties to JOOLA. Manufacturing of all impacted products will be discontinued immediately.

"We respect JOOLA's intellectual property and its impact on the pickleball paddle market, as well as JOOLA's role as a leader in technical innovation," said Charles Darling, Founder and CEO of Proton.

"We are glad to resolve this matter constructively."

JOOLA has now settled with three brands that were listed in the initial lawsuit; Proton, Paddletek, and ProXr.

JOOLA Patent Lawsuit: Settlement Reached with Paddletek, ProXR
Paddletek and ProXR Pickleball can sell through a designated inventory allotment before phasing out “the affected products” through the fall.

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Alex E. Weaver

Alex E. Weaver

Alex is The Dink's Digital Content Manager. (Have a tip? Hit him up.) His passions used to include hiking, traveling, and spending time with his family. Now all he does is play pickleball.

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