A Canadian company is claiming victory after settling a patent infringement lawsuit it filed against the makers of AstroTurf.
FieldTurf Inc. of Montreal is now the sole manufacturer of a sports surface that mimics natural grass by anchoring synthetic blades in a base of sand and ground rubber.
The company had competition beginning last year when Southwest Recreational Industries Inc., the Leander, Texas-based manufacturer of AstroTurf, introduced a similar product called AstroPlay. FieldTurf filed a lawsuit in September when Southwest installed its first field in Wilder, Ky.
With the case settled, FieldTurf CEO John Gilman said he expects to double his sales by the end of the year. The company did $9 million in sales in 1998.
"[Southwest was] saying AstroPlay was the same as FieldTurf, when they are not even close," Gilman said. "It ... probably held us back somewhat."
Southwest will continue selling AstroPlay, but the artificial blades of grass will be supported by a base made entirely of ground rubber, said spokesman Troy Squires.
But Squires said the change from a sand and rubber base to an all-rubber base was not the result of the settlement.
"We have been doing this since last year," he said. "We have always felt if you got the sand out then it is a better product. It is softer and less abrasive. It doesn't compact like sand does."
Squires said he realized people could make a connection between the changes to AstroPlay and the lawsuit, but he stressed they were unrelated. He said he could not discuss details of the settlement because of a confidentiality agreement.
"The product was evolving," Squires said. "We were not going to stick with any particular design because of what someone might think about why we changed it."
Southwest is installing its first all-rubber AstroPlay field at Lindenwood University in St. Charles, Mo.
Gilman said he could not disclose specifics of the settlement but that, in general, Southwest agreed to honor FieldTurf's right over the technology and acknowledged FieldTurf had a valid patent.
He also disputed Squires' claim that sand becomes compacted in these types of fields. He said FieldTurf has a precise mixture of fine grade sand and ground rubber that prevents packing.
