Fairhaven, MA -- Acushnet Company, manufacturer of Titleist and Pinnacle brand golf balls, has announced that it has filed suits in Federal Courts around the country against retailers and wholesalers dealing in counterfeit Titleist Pro V1 golf balls, including Cam Golf, Inc. and Faber Brothers, Inc. (each in the Northern District of Illinois), City Sports, Inc. (District of Massachusetts), GI Joes, Inc. (District of Oregon), Kings of Golf, Inc. (Eastern District of Wisconsin) and others for counterfeiting and trademark infringement. These suits are the result of each of these entities either distributing allegedly counterfeit Titleist Pro V1 golf balls at wholesale or selling allegedly counterfeit Pro V1 golf balls in retail locations. The Titleist Pro V1 is the most played golf ball across the worldwide professional tours and the best-selling golf ball model at on- and off-course golf shops in the United States.

The suits against City Sports and GI Joes resulted from consumers who had purchased these products from various retail location and brought sales of counterfeit product to Acushnet's attention. These samples were submitted to Acushnet, who confirmed that they and other samples subsequently obtained were counterfeit.

City Sports and GI Joes are not authorized retailers of Titleist Pro V1 golf balls and purchase Titleist Pro V1 balls through the grey market and other unauthorized channels.

Cam Golf, Faber Brothers and Kings of Golf (also known as KG Golf) are alleged to have supplied counterfeit golf balls to various retail locations around the country.

"Acushnet Company makes all Titleist brand golf balls in the United States in southeastern Massachusetts," commented Joseph Nauman, Executive Vice President, Corporate and Legal. "The investigations and litigation so far show that the counterfeit golf balls are being imported from Asian sources and are often marketed as genuine 'back door' goods. Nothing could be further from the truth."

"We continue to act to protect our brands and our customers from badly performing, poor quality, counterfeit products, wherever they appear," Nauman continued. "Acushnet Company and other golf equipment manufacturers are investing substantial resources to stop the manufacture and sale of counterfeit products," he added. "As we have said before - the protection of our brands and trademarks is one of our top priorities and we will aggressively pursue every situation where they are being violated."

These situations and the similar situations whereby Acushnet filed suit earlier this spring against Academy Sports and Scheels All Sports reinforce that the best way for consumers to protect themselves from counterfeit product is to be sure that they purchase only from authorized retailers. A list of authorized golf shop locations for all of Acushnet's brands - Titleist, FootJoy, Cobra and Pinnacle - can be found on the respective brand websites. Any questions regarding the authenticity of an Acushnet product can be directed to an authorized Acushnet retailer or to the Acushnet Company Consumer Relations at 1.800.225.8500.

Titleist, FootJoy, Cobra and Pinnacle comprise the major golf brands of the Acushnet Company, an operating company of Fortune Brands, Inc. (NYSE - FO). Titleist, Cobra, FootJoy, Pinnacle and Pro V1 are trademarks owned by Acushnet Company. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners. For more information visit us online at www.titleist.com, www.footjoy.com, www.cobragolf.com or www.pinnaclegolf.com.