December 22, 2011|By Julie Wernau, Chicago Tribune reporter
Billiard-cloth maker Iwan Simonis Inc., whose North American administration is headquartered in Libertyville, says its arch-nemesis Championship LLC, which is 45 account south in Elk Grove Village, has burst a accord brokered in 2010 meant to stop advance ads Championship was active adjoin Simonis.
While Belgium-based Simonis has been authoritative billiard bolt for added than two centuries, according to the company, ancient in 2008, Championship, a 48-year-old company, began active full-page ads in arch basin and billiard magazines claiming that class testing accepted that Championship's bolt captivated up 50 percent best than bolt acclimated by Simonis, according to cloister records.
The affirmation Championship cited relied on a third competitor's (Fisher Textiles) centralized lab testing that adumbrated Fisher's bolt captivated up to sandpaper-like chafe bigger than Championship or Simonis. In its ads, Championship affected the lab after-effects (minus the bit proving that Fisher was the best durable) and ran full-page ads in magazines beyond the country: "Lab after-effects affirm that Championship's Tour Copy outlasts Simonis 860 by over 50 percent."
In 2008, Simonis sued Championship in federal cloister in Chicago, claiming the ads were false, ambiguous and accepted annihilation about the affection of their cloth. It approved to accept the ads stopped.
"There's assertive characteristics that are adorable for a billiard cloth, and chafe attrition adjoin sandpaper isn't one of them," Ivan Lee, admiral and arch controlling of Simonis North America, said in an account Tuesday. "Billiard bolt has assurance rolling on it, not sandpaper."
In clearing the clothing in September 2010 Championship agreed to stop active ads comparing the two brands and ran retractions in the publications that agitated the ads. Under the settlement, if Championship absitively to analyze the two articles in approaching book ads, it would accept to lay out the exact weight and agreement of the fabrics actuality compared, as able-bodied as the testing and alignment used.
One year later, Simonis claims Championship is at it again.
The ad's banderole reads, "YOU be the judge" and states that Championship offers three bolt brands that will "outlast Simonis or your money back!" The ad does not accompaniment the testing adjustment acclimated to verify claims that its bolt outlasts Simonis brands by 50, 65 and 30 percent.
On Monday, Simonis filed a additional accusation in federal court, allurement for a retraction, amercement and an adjustment that Championship stop the ads.
"Unfortunately, I'm accepting to force a adversary to comedy fair," Lee said in the interview. "We're saying, 'You apperceive what? You're aback to your old tricks. Cut it out. If you can't be fair this will go to trial, and we'll booty if from there.' Unfortunately, bodies alone accept back it hits them in the wallet."
A Championship agent was beatific a archetype of the clothing by email but did not acknowledgment requests for comment.
Johnny Maricich, alliance abettor for the Illiana APA, a authorization of the American Poolplayers Association with 100 teams in Chicago and Indiana, said the blazon of bolt acclimated on a billiard or basin table makes a big difference.
If the bolt is poor quality, the brawl won't cycle as well, comedy will be slower and it won't break flat, Maricich said. The brawl will cycle off in addition direction.
"Simonis is apparently the top bolt acclimated on best basin tables. Those assurance cycle always on that cloth. It's like glass," Maricich said. "Championship makes a basin copy that's a adequately accepted cloth, mostly acclimated on bar tables. But the basin halls mostly use a Simonis brand."
jwernau@tribune.com
Twitter @littlewern
