Read Patent Marks Before Buying

Editorial illustration; packaging shown is conceptual, not a photograph of an affected product.

Read patent marks on the box before youPursue the agreement. JOOLA’s Propulsion Core patent campaign is altering how certain impacted paddles are labeled and distributed, with public arrangements addressing royalties, patent numbers, and manufacturing phases.se-outs. Those marks are inventory clues—not a play-test score, a warranty promise or a reason to buy blind.

The timeline matters. JOOLA’s September 14 announcement grouped seven settlements or consents with a pending default request under “eight of eleven.” The Dink then reported Friday’s settlement on September 17. Franklin and RPM remained without announced resolutions in that updated reporting. This is the Propulsion Core IP story, not JOOLA’s separate POWER FX full-foam launch.

What JOOLA announced

In its September 14 release, JOOLA described Propulsion Core as a patented paddle construction method used in its 3S, 3S Dual, Pro IV and Pro V lines. That is the company’s description of the technology at issue, not our finding that every competing paddle infringes it.

According to Alex E. Weaver’s reporting for The Dink, the campaign began in April with complaints against eleven competing paddle brands, pursued through the U.S. International Trade Commission and companion federal-court cases. Those are separate proceedings; a deal with one brand does not settle the allegations against another.

“Eight resolutions is a clear signal that our IP is real, it’s protected, and we intend to keep it that way.”

Richard Lee, JOOLA CEO, in the company’s September 14 announcement

Lee is stating JOOLA’s position. The useful buyer takeaway is narrower: some affected inventory can keep selling under reported settlement terms, even as its manufacturing stops. That combination makes the exact model—and the seller’s answers about support—more important than the brand name alone.

Who resolved, and who is still fighting

JOOLA’s September 14 list named Paddletek, ProXR, Facolos, Proton, Volair, All Racquet Sports / All For Padel and Engage. All Racquet Sports / All For Padel is the Adidas pickleball licensee; Engage was identified as having consented to judgment. Diadem appeared separately: JOOLA said it had not responded and that the company was asking the court for a default judgment.

Do not read that last item as a judgment already entered. The Dink explicitly reported that the default judgment had not yet been entered. JOOLA’s “eight resolutions” wording combined different procedural positions, rather than describing eight identical settlements.

Friday’s September 17 agreement is the later development. With Friday added, the updated report identifies eight brands that had settled or consented, while Diadem’s requested default remains a separate category. Franklin Sports and RPM Pickleball were the remaining holdouts without announced resolutions. The Dink described RPM as actively fighting the claims; public quiet from another company is not proof of an outcome.

The same report says the ITC proceeding remained ongoing, without a final determination on the remaining respondents. These are the positions described in the September 14–17 sources checked for this article, not a claim that every docket has since stopped moving.

For the broader paddle-tech conversation, visit PBN’s Trends lane. Keep that reading separate from this purchase check: a construction announcement such as POWER FX and a Propulsion Core settlement answer different questions.

What shoppers may see on boxes

The public terms are not interchangeable. A marking requirement reported for one manufacturer should not be pasted onto every brand in JOOLA’s list. Here is the buyer-facing map, with the unknowns left visible.

Brand and reported position	What it means for affected inventory
Paddletek and ProXR — May settlements	The Dink reports royalties and JOOLA patent-number marking on affected products while they are phased out. Check the specific model rather than assuming the whole catalog is affected.
Proton — June agreement	Remaining affected inventory could sell with JOOLA patent numbers and a “Powered by JOOLA” label, with royalties. Manufacturing of impacted products was discontinued.
Friday — September 17 settlement update	Aura, Fever 101 and Fever 102 are the reported affected models. Royalties and patent-number marks apply; affected products could sell into fall, while manufacturing stopped immediately. Aura Pro is excluded from this agreement.
Facolos, Volair, Engage and All Racquet Sports / All For Padel	Named among JOOLA’s resolutions; Engage consented to judgment. The latest announcement did not disclose financial or licensing terms for these resolutions. Do not infer a shared phase-out schedule.
Diadem — default requested	JOOLA sought a default judgment; The Dink reported it had not yet been entered. That is not a published settlement or a buyer-facing product recall.
Franklin Sports and RPM Pickleball — holdouts	No announced resolution in the updated reporting. Do not infer a settlement label, manufacturing stop or final legal result.

Sources: JOOLA, September 14, 2026; The Dink, September 16 with September 17 update. Dates, model numbers and settlement descriptions above come from these reports; royalty amounts and a precise Friday sell-through deadline were not provided.

Check the model, then the support

Match the complete model name. Friday’s Aura and Aura Pro are not interchangeable in the reported agreement. Read the listing, the box and the receipt together. If a retailer uses a shortened name, ask which exact product you will receive before ordering.

Ask what the mark means on that SKU. A patent number can reflect a reported settlement requirement. It does not establish tournament eligibility, durability or feel at the kitchen. If event eligibility matters to you, check the exact model against the approval rules used by your event; do not substitute a patent sticker for that check.

Separate remaining inventory from ongoing production. A paddle still available for purchase is not necessarily still being manufactured. Ask the seller whether it is affected stock and what happens if you need a replacement. A manufacturing phase-out is not, by itself, evidence that an existing warranty has disappeared.

Get the practical promises in writing. Confirm who handles a warranty claim, whether the retailer accepts returns after a demo and whether a replacement would be the same model or another product. We have not established those policies for these brands here. That is why they belong on your shopping checklist, not in a made-up comparison column.

Demo the paddle, not the court gossip. Try resets, blocks and the soft shots you actually use. A clearance price can be worthwhile if the paddle fits and the support terms work for you. It is not a bargain merely because someone at open play calls it the last chance to buy.

For the separate certification question — whether a model is still on the USA Pickleball approved paddles list after the Oct 1 spin-rate test — see that explainer next.

If you are comparing retailer numbers rather than patent marks, start with what paddle lab data can tell you before you treat any single score as a buy signal.

When you move from marks on the box to shopping shortlists, keep the best paddle lists of 2026 as a second pass — not a substitute for checking the model in hand.

What this means in North Jersey

At a North Jersey shop or club demo, make the conversation specific: “Is this model affected, is it still being made, and who supports it after I buy?” Those questions are more useful than asking whether JOOLA “won.” We are not asserting that any particular local retailer has affected stock or a special deal.

Questions people ask

What does “8 of 11 resolved” mean in JOOLA’s Propulsion Core cases?

JOOLA’s September 14, 2026 announcement grouped seven settlements or consents to judgment with one pending default request (Diadem) under “eight of eleven.” It does not mean eight identical settlements, and Diadem’s default judgment had not been entered in The Dink’s reporting. Friday’s settlement followed on September 17.

Which brands are still fighting JOOLA’s patent claims?

Franklin Sports and RPM Pickleball had no announced resolution in The Dink’s updated reporting, and The Dink described RPM as actively fighting. The ITC proceeding was still ongoing, with no final determination on the remaining respondents.

Will my paddle box show JOOLA patent numbers?

Only for certain affected models from brands whose public terms require it. Paddletek and ProXR agreed to mark affected products while phasing them out; Proton’s remaining affected inventory could carry JOOLA patent numbers and a “Powered by JOOLA” label; Friday’s Aura, Fever 101 and Fever 102 are marked, while the Aura Pro is not covered. Terms for the other resolutions were not disclosed.

Read the box. Check the support. Then decide whether the paddle earns a place in your bag. A patent mark can explain why packaging changed; it cannot hit your next drop for you.