Costco, Acushnet in Settlement Talks Over Golf Ball Patents

Costco Wholesale Corp. and The Acushnet Co. asked a federal judge in Seattle to put case deadlines on hold for eight weeks “to allow the parties to explore settlement” of patent-infringement disputes, the companies said in a May 14 filing.

Costco sued a year ago, seeking a ruling that its Kirkland Signature balls didn’t use Acushnet’s patented inventions for Titleist balls.

Acushnet responded with its own suit, claiming that Costco infringed its patents and falsely claimed its lower-cost KS balls were just as good as national brands. The cases have been consolidated.

The dispute began after Costco began selling its ...