JOOLA, a premier pickleball equipment brand, on Thursday announced that it has reached a settlement with Volair in a patent infringement dispute involving its Propulsion Core technology. The agreement resolves all claims between the two companies arising from the lawsuit JOOLA filed in April, further reducing the number of defendants in its broader legal campaign.
The settlement centers on Volair’s Shift paddle, the only product named by JOOLA in its original complaint against the company.
Under the terms of the agreement, Volair will continue selling the Shift paddle through the fall before discontinuing production. In addition, all Shift paddles will carry JOOLA’s ‘826 Patent marking, while Volair will pay royalties on every unit sold going forward.
“Volair has acknowledged JOOLA’s intellectual property and its role as a leader in technical innovation, and we are pleased to have reached a resolution with them regarding JOOLA’s Propulsion Core technology,” said JOOLA CEO Richard Lee. “They will be removed from our ITC filing and we will continue to pursue fair outcomes with the remaining defendants as we protect the technology that defines the modern game.”
The latest agreement marks JOOLA’s fourth settlement since it launched legal action over its Propulsion Core technology earlier this year. The company has already resolved similar disputes with Paddletek, ProXr, and Proton, with Volair now joining that list.
Despite the latest settlement, JOOLA’s wider legal battle is far from over. Seven companies remain involved in the proceedings before the International Trade Commission (ITC): Diadem, RPM, Adidas Pickleball, Engage, Facolos, Franklin, and Friday.
The series of settlements underscores JOOLA’s continued push to defend what it considers proprietary technology at a time when innovation in paddle design has become one of the sport’s most closely watched competitive frontiers.
While Volair will gradually phase out the Shift paddle under the agreed terms, JOOLA has indicated that it will continue pursuing the remaining cases as it seeks to safeguard its intellectual property and the technology underpinning its Propulsion Core platform.
