Riddell, Inc. has filed a lawsuit against Rawlings Sporting Goods Company, Inc., claiming Rawlings infringed on four different patents arising from Riddell’s helmet and shoulder pad technologies.
The four-count federal court complaint identifies five Rawlings helmet models (Tachyon, Impulse, Quantum, Momentum, and Force) and two shoulder pads (Titan and Spartan) that allegedly infringe upon Riddell’s patented technologies for football helmets and shoulder pads.
Riddell claims the patents protect key technological features of helmets and shoulder pads, which “provide the football community with unique benefits in product performance and personal comfort. Riddell strongly believes that despite (it’s) patent protection, Rawlings has used Riddell’s technology without permission.”
Joseph M. Hanna of Goldberg Segalla suggested that “Riddell’s move to protect the patents to keep its competitive edge” may be tied to recent developments.
“At the end of the 2013 season, NFL and Riddell agreed to end a deal that gave Riddell an exclusive right to put its name on the helmet’s nose bumper,” he wrote. For the approximately one-third of players who do not wear a Riddell helmet, the manufacturer’s name did not appear at all on the helmet.
“NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell reportedly said that the league ‘had to use quite a bit of leverage’ to end the deal,” wrote Hanna. “However, as the concussion awareness increased, NFL became weary of selling exclusive branding rights to a certain manufacturer over another. Given this background, Riddell’s move to protect the patents … seems reasonable.”
