JOOLA Pickleball this week filed a patent infringement lawsuit against 11 paddle companies, alleging that the competitors copied JOOLA’s “propulsion core technology.”

The paddle companies named in the litigation are: Franklin Sports, Proton Sports, RPM Pickleball, Engage Pickleball, Friday Labs, Diadem Sports, Facolos, ProXR Pickleball, Paddletek, Adidas Pickleball and Volair.

JOOLA is credited with creating the “Gen 3” category of pickleball paddles with the release of their Gen 3, MOD TA-15 and 3S models in 2024. The paddles featured an EVA foam perimeter around a polypropylene honeycomb core. It was a new innovation at the time that led to a noticeable increase in power, and JOOLA’s paddles have been among the most powerful on the market ever since.

Many companies soon followed in JOOLA’s footsteps, releasing paddles that were constructed in a similar way and produced similar performance. Today, “Gen 3” paddles are common across the pickleball paddle industry.

“We work every day to define the modern era of paddle construction and design,” JOOLA said in a statement. “Our products are built on years of engineering, testing, and investment. We’ve invested significant resources in developing proprietary technology — including our propulsion core, found throughout our pro line of paddles  — that has genuinely advanced the sport of pickleball. … When those innovations are imitated without authorization, it undermines the integrity of competition and ultimately slows the sport’s progress. We’re taking action to protect the original ideas that belong to JOOLA. This litigation aims to safeguard our innovations and our patented technology.”

Specifically, the lawsuit appears to apply to any paddle that has the “U” shaped perimeter foam, as seen below (white area).

There are some “Gen 3” paddles that have the perimeter foam going all the way around the core, like the Selkirk Era Power — those paddles are not included in the lawsuit.

The Kitchen has reached out to the paddle companies named in the lawsuit for comment. We will update this story with more information as we learn more.