Callaway Golf Ball Company Gets Preliminary Injunction Preventing Mark King From Using Trade Secrets

CARLSBAD, Calif. (PROTEXT) - Callaway Golf Ball Company, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Callaway Golf Company (NYSE: ELY), today announced that the San Diego Superior Court has entered a preliminary injunction against Mark King, a former Vice President of Callaway Golf Ball Company, to prevent him from using the trade secrets and confidential information he learned while at Callaway Golf Ball Company. Mr. King signed an employment agreement with Callaway Golf Ball Company in April 1999, agreeing to work for the Company until December 31, 2000, and receiving a raise and stock options. On August 16, 1999, King announced he was leaving Callaway Golf Ball Company to become President of Taylor Made adidas-Golf, with worldwide responsibility for sales of golf clubs, golf balls, shoes and apparel. Callaway Golf Ball Company demanded arbitration and filed suit, asserting that Mr. King would inevitably misuse Callaway Golf Ball's trade secrets and should be barred from reporting to work at Taylor Made adidas-Golf. Today, the Court gave Callaway Golf Ball Company a partial victory by entering a preliminary injunction preventing Mr. King from "using, disclosing, copying or transmitting any trade secrets of Callaway Golf Ball Company," but permitting him to work for Taylor Made adidas-Golf until an arbitrator can hear the Company's claims against Mr. King. In the arbitration proceeding, which is already underway, the Company will ask the arbitrator to prevent Mr. King from working for Taylor Made until December 31, 2000, when the employment agreement expires. "We believe that there is a very real risk that Mr. King will misuse Callaway Golf Ball Company's confidential information in his new position at Taylor Made adidas-Golf so we are pleased that the Court has entered an injunction against Mr. King," said Ely Callaway, Chairman and Founder of Callaway Golf. "However, we also believe that it is inevitable that Mr. King will misuse our trade secrets if he is permitted to work at Taylor Made adidas- Golf, so we will continue to seek an order, from the courts and in the arbitration, preventing him from working there. We intend to keep pursuing this matter until we completely prevail." For more information about Callaway Golf Company, please visit the company's website on the Internet at www.callawaygolf.com. ots Original Text Service: Callaway Golf Ball Company Internet: http://www.newsaktuell.de Contact: Larry Dorman of Callaway Golf Company, 760-931-1771 Web site: http://www.callawaygolf.com Subscribers please note that material bearing the slug "PROTEXT" is not part of CTK's news service and is not to be published under the "CTK" slug. Protext is a commercial service providing distribution of press releases from clients, who are identified in the text of Protext reports and who bear full responsibility for their contents. PROTEXT