The introduction of Costco’s much-anticipated
Kirkland Signature Players Irons was a major step for the wholesaler, which appears intent on expanding its footprint in the golf equipment industry with new products designed to go head-to-head against the biggest brands.
But not all of Costco’s competitors are embracing the $499 offering that sold out within hours of its release last month. TaylorMade, in particular, alleges the iron’s design infringes on several patents tied to the company’s popular P790 iron that has a similar hollow-cavity design.
In response, TaylorMade is taking Costco and Southern California Design Company (SCDC) — the iron’s designer — to court.
In a complaint filed Wednesday in the Southern District Court of California, TaylorMade alleged Costco and SCDC infringed on five separate patents, all of them tied to the
multi-material P790 design that TaylorMade says “revolutionized the filled-iron category” in 2017. TaylorMade fills the cavity of these irons with with a polymer named SpeedFoam, as referenced in the complaint.
Costco did not immediately reply to GOLF.com’s request for comment.
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https://golf.com/gear/taylormade-costco-headed-to-court-iron-technology/