JOOLA announced Tuesday morning that it has reached a settlement with Proton Sports resolving all claims relating to the patent infringement litigation that JOOLA filed regarding its Propulsion Core technology back in April.  

The settlement concerns the Flamingo Series 3 paddle, which was the only paddle listed by JOOLA in its initial complaint against Proton. 

“JOOLA’s Propulsion Core technology is the foundation of the modern pickleball paddle, and we are pleased to have reached a solution with Proton,” said JOOLA CEO Richard Lee. “We will continue to pursue fair outcomes with the remaining defendants as we protect the technology we built that defines the modern game.” 

As part of the agreement, Proton will continue to sell its Flamingo paddle through the end of the summer. They will mark the paddle with JOOLA’s Propulsion Core patent numbers, add a “Powered by JOOLA” sticker to the packaging, and pay royalties.

Additionally, all manufacturing of the Flamingo will stop immediately. 

“We respect JOOLA’s intellectual property and its impact on the pickleball paddle market, as well as JOOLA’s role as a leader in technical innovation,” said Proton Founder and CEO Charles Darling. “We are glad to resolve this matter constructively.” 

JOOLA has now settled with three brands that were listed in its initial lawsuit: Paddletek, ProXr, and Proton. They still have eight ongoing suits through the International Trade Commission against the following companies: Diadem, RPM, Adidas Pickleball, Engage, Facolos, Franklin, Friday, and Volair.