Spalding Sports Worldwide announced yesterday that it has filed papers in federal district court in Springfield, Massachusetts asking the court for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction against Wilson Sporting Goods.
Spalding sued Wilson on 22nd February over Wilson’s advertising that claims its new True golf ball putts better than competitive balls, including Spalding’s STRATA® TOUR ULTIMATE® 2 ball.
Spalding’s lawsuit states that Wilson’s test methodology is fundamentally flawed because Wilson intentionally oriented competitive balls in a particular manner and then putted them on a pool table-like surface in order to obtain desired results.
Spalding retained Arthur D. Little, Inc., a respected independent laboratory consultant, to conduct putting tests that replicate ‘real world’ conditions, consisting of random orientation of balls putted on a surface that replicates grass on a natural putting green. Under these ‘real world’ conditions, A. D. Little’s test results show that the Wilson True golf balls do not have the superior putting qualities that Wilson claims.
“This proves what we knew all along: Wilson’s claims are literally false,” stated Jim Craigie, Spalding’s president & chief executive officer. “We are confident the court will agree that Wilson’s false and misleading advertising must be immediately stopped.”