Broomsticks are no more unless it is a Callaway product

[cnosil]

I was looking at the LAB Outlet and noticed that they changed the listings from Broomstick to Sweepers.   Now I know why.  
 

 

 

[mpatrickriley]

This is what happens when the legal team doesn't talk to the PR team. I can't see how this helps Callaway in any way: they're not offering a technology unique to them, and I have to think most people will think this is totally petty.

Gonna need J. K. Rowling to jump in and sue Callaway until it gets renamed the Quidditch Golf Company.

[slash25rc]

What a load of crap! 

When I worked for a brewery in Boone, NC. We had a blonde ale called "The Honey Badger". For years we sold it as that and distributed in a can across the state, then out of the blue, we got a C&D from a Winery in Australia stating they had a CR on that name already. Like.. in what world is that gonna get people confused across the globe 

The stuff companies care about.. I guess it may stems from trying to get back at someone for the whole "Mini Driver" debacle  

[cnosil]

32 minutes ago, slash25rc said:

What a load of crap! 

When I worked for a brewery in Boone, NC. We had a blonde ale called "The Honey Badger". For years we sold it as that and distributed in a can across the state, then out of the blue, we got a C&D from a Winery in Australia stating they had a CR on that name already. Like.. in what world is that gonna get people confused across the globe 

The stuff companies care about.. I guess it may stems from trying to get back at someone for the whole "Mini Driver" debacle  

Happens all the time.   When we were doing the MGS HQ tour during the 2024 MGS outing Adam was telling us about some of the C&D letters they constantly get 

[slash25rc]

1 minute ago, cnosil said:

Happens all the time.   When we were doing the MGS HQ tour during the 2024 MGS outing Adam was telling us about some of the C&D letters they constantly get 

Gah I bet marketing and PR at that level is just a constant legal battle for naming rights at this point. 

Oh one more funny note on the brewery thing , we had a beer called WeiserBud for the taproom and never got a letter about that one since we didn't sell it out-of-house  

[Siamese Moose]

1 hour ago, slash25rc said:

What a load of crap! 

When I worked for a brewery in Boone, NC. We had a blonde ale called "The Honey Badger". For years we sold it as that and distributed in a can across the state, then out of the blue, we got a C&D from a Winery in Australia stating they had a CR on that name already. Like.. in what world is that gonna get people confused across the globe 

The stuff companies care about.. I guess it may stems from trying to get back at someone for the whole "Mini Driver" debacle  

I'm a homebrewer, and I use the Siamese Moose name for my home brewery. I got a C&D from Moosehead!

[slash25rc]

4 minutes ago, Siamese Moose said:

I'm a homebrewer, and I use the Siamese Moose name for my home brewery. I got a C&D from Moosehead!

That is insane! Just for having "Moose" in the name! 

[The TXBexar]

2 hours ago, slash25rc said:

What a load of crap! 

When I worked for a brewery in Boone, NC. We had a blonde ale called "The Honey Badger".

Ha, oddly enough, there was a brewery in Allen, TX that made a damn good blonde ale called "The Honey Badge" that was one of the best damn blondes I ever had.

[The TXBexar]

3 hours ago, cnosil said:

I was looking at the LAB Outlet and noticed that they changed the listings from Broomstick to Sweepers.   Now I know why.  
 

 

 

I've noticed an oddly significant amount of CR C&Ds going out over the last year, across all industries, but especially in the Golf World. I wonder if there is some significant legal changes coming on the horizon that these companies are trying to get ahead of before things take affect, or are they just trying to grab as much cash as they can while the economy seems to support them being able too? 

[slash25rc]

1 minute ago, The TXBexar said:

Ha, oddly enough, there was a brewery in Allen, TX that made a damn good blonde ale called "The Honey Badge" that was one of the best damn blondes I ever had.

Ours was too! It was one of the first real "craft beers" I ever had. To us, craft beer was Yuengling and Blue Moon off the top shelf at the beer store and this one in college. Some friends and I would go every Monday and Wednesday after our late classes and split a couple pitchers. I graduated and loved it so much, I worked there for 6 years on the retail ops side haha 

It's still made under the name "Boone Creek Blonde", from AMB in Boone. 

[The TXBexar]

5 minutes ago, slash25rc said:

Ours was too! It was one of the first real "craft beers" I ever had. To us, craft beer was Yuengling and Blue Moon off the top shelf at the beer store and this one in college. Some friends and I would go every Monday and Wednesday after our late classes and split a couple pitchers. I graduated and loved it so much, I worked there for 6 years on the retail ops side haha 

It's still made under the name "Boone Creek Blonde", from AMB in Boone. 

i'll have to look for it next time out in the Carolinas. This one isn't made anymore, as the owner of the brewery that made it went and got himself caught up on federal homicide charges, but damn the beer was tasty though!

[hohjoe]

On 11/21/2024 at 8:54 AM, slash25rc said:

When I worked for a brewery in Boone, NC. We had a blonde ale called "The Honey Badger".

I've had that and it's a good ale.

[cksurfdude]

On 11/21/2024 at 11:52 AM, The TXBexar said:

I've noticed an oddly significant amount of CR C&Ds going out over the last year, across all industries, but especially in the Golf World. I wonder if there is some significant legal changes coming on the horizon that these companies are trying to get ahead of before things take affect, or are they just trying to grab as much cash as they can while the economy seems to support them being able too? 

Interesting observation. Too many times those letters are just a BS way of attempting to stifle competition .. and can be challenged or just ignored .. but otoh there are some legit cases of trademark or patent infringement.

But yeah a generic word like "broomstick" with a few different usages in our language is kinda silly...

[slash25rc]

LAB better be careful now that “Swiffer” doesn’t come after them for the “sweeper”  

[MissionMan]

On 11/22/2024 at 12:07 AM, mpatrickriley said:

This is what happens when the legal team doesn't talk to the PR team. I can't see how this helps Callaway in any way: they're not offering a technology unique to them, and I have to think most people will think this is totally petty.

Gonna need J. K. Rowling to jump in and sue Callaway until it gets renamed the Quidditch Golf Company.

I for one, won't purchase another Callaway product after this stunt. It's petty and stupid. I don't support this kind of behaviour from companies. I use Callaway triple tracks, or used. Now I won't be so they've just lost me as a ball customer. I'll shift back to Titleist when my current balls are finished.

The irony of this is they just copied LABs zero torque concept and now they're copywriting the word broomstick?

Edited November 24 by MissionMan

[GolfSpy_APH]

Will be interesting to see how this all plays out. Gotta admit that as much as it sucks for L.A.B. to deal with this I think the public will be on their side.

[CFreddie]

Agreed Jamie - extremely petty on Callaways part. Knowing Sam’s penchant for creative marketing, I’m hopeful LAB pokes fun at this stunt and continues to win over the public.  

[fixyurdivot]

On 11/21/2024 at 7:27 AM, cnosil said:

Happens all the time.   When we were doing the MGS HQ tour during the 2024 MGS outing Adam was telling us about some of the C&D letters they constantly get 

Yup product marketing, branding, slogans, and copyright can get downright chippy.  Not sure just how Callaway can lay claim to and defend "broomstick" but clearly they think they can and that doing so makes economic sense... even at the risk of negative public perception.  

[Bucky CC]

It's interesting looking up information on the trademark.  One site shows Callaway first applied for the term back in 2012 but abandoned it in 2013.  They then refiled in 2018 (the same year Sam Hahn took over at LAB) and it was officially granted in 2019.

Like someone said before there seems to be a big disconnect between legal and PR here.  I think of Callaway when you talk about Chrome Soft or even Big Bertha, not with the generic term "broomstick".  This just makes them look like petty.

[Shankster]

I’m going to trademark my last name, and tell every single son of of gun that ever used the word Shank to Cease and Desist or I want compensation.  Come up with a new name for your crappy swing fault.
 

it’s why Elon has the model 3 instead of the E.  Ford owns the E model… get a life,  that is the only fact I know about him.

[Chux13]

On 11/24/2024 at 5:09 AM, GolfSpy_APH said:

Will be interesting to see how this all plays out. Gotta admit that as much as it sucks for L.A.B. to deal with this I think the public will be on their side.

I'm with you on this one. Not only on L.A.B's side, but now this kind of publicity may reach more eyes that would not follow such a brand and wonder why the big boys are serving this sort of stuffs.

Edited November 27 by Chux13

[The TXBexar]

L.A.B. should just go in an entirely different direction, and make the name sound like an entirely new & unique style of putter all together, something like the Firepole Putter!

The marketing almost writes itself: "Sure, you could use Callaways "Broomstick" putter if you want to feel like a domesticated homebody, imitating s boring cleaning motion even when your outdoors & surrounded by nature. Or you could wrap your hands around a Firepole Putter and feel the brotherhood of greatness that pulses in your hands as you ooze confidence & strike fear in your opponents, because they know your putting fire streak will never be extinguished while your using this putter."

What hell does L.A.B. have to lose at this point anyways, right? LoL.

[MissionMan]

43 minutes ago, The TXBexar said:

L.A.B. should just go in an entirely different direction, and make the name sound like an entirely new & unique style of putter all together, something like the Firepole Putter!

The marketing almost writes itself: "Sure, you could use Callaways "Broomstick" putter if you want to feel like a domesticated homebody, imitating s boring cleaning motion even when your outdoors & surrounded by nature. Or you could wrap your hands around a Firepole Putter and feel the brotherhood of greatness that pulses in your hands as you ooze confidence & strike fear in your opponents, because they know your putting fire streak will never be extinguished while your using this putter."

What hell does L.A.B. have to lose at this point anyways, right? LoL.

That is the path they have taken. It'll be worse for Callaway now because LAB have called their putter a "sweeper", and Callaway won't come up in the search results like they would for people searching for broomstick. The only way for them to get access to that search result is by paying for access to it from an advertising perspective.

[Shankster]

1 hour ago, MissionMan said:

That is the path they have taken. It'll be worse for Callaway now because LAB have called their putter a "sweeper", and Callaway won't come up in the search results like they would for people searching for broomstick. The only way for them to get access to that search result is by paying for access to it from an advertising perspective.

I hope they filed for rights to sweeper.

[MissionMan]

18 minutes ago, Shankster said:

I hope they filed for rights to sweeper.

And mallet at the same time 

[Shankster]

35 minutes ago, MissionMan said:

And mallet at the same time 

That would be like Titleist laying claim to MB.  That would upend the golf market.  So would it if PING said no one else can use the term “Game Improvement”… 

Callaway is being a little 

[KC Golf]

I’m all for marketing by OEMs, but I think this is going a little too far.  I know it’s too expensive for LAB to litigate the trademark, but the Broomstick is pretty common jargon now for long shaft putters.  

Fortunately LAB is now firmly known in the marketplace for providing these putters to the likes of Scott, Glover, etc.  So it shouldn’t impact them too much.
 

 

[Josh Parker]

It's honestly just sad this is what it's come to.  

[cnosil]

7 hours ago, KC Golf said:

but the Broomstick is pretty common jargon now for long shaft putters.  

 

IMO, this is the key point and why there shouldn’t have been a trademark issued.  It is a common term.  

[BIG STU]

38 minutes ago, cnosil said:

IMO, this is the key point and why there shouldn’t have been a trademark issued.  It is a common term.  

Around here I have also heard them being caller "Tree Top" and "Ski Pole". My B-90 I Ping I used for a while then revived when I was recovering I called "Long Tall Sally". I have had "Sally" since she was new. I also have a Bobby Grace V-Foil I built many years ago for a late friend of mine. Actually he left all of his putters to me in his will. You would have had to know this guy he was something else. Neither one of those putters are going anywhere while I am breathing. Not only Sentimental reasons but I never know when my back may mess up again