Is a pickleball paddle patented?

Short answer: specific designs of a pickleball paddle have been patented many times, but "a pickleball paddle" as a general idea is not what is protected. What matters is the exact combination of features in your version.

What our index shows

249 US and WO patent publications since 2000 have a title matching “pickleball” or a close variant (our index of 9.7 million patent families; one publication per family).
Among the 168 best keyword matches we examined, 147 were published in 2020 or later, and the earliest was published in 2003.
Most frequent assignees in those matches: OFINNO LLC (20), KARSTEN MFG CORP (6), SPORT SQUAD INC (6), SELKIRK SPORT LLC (5).
Most common patent classes (CPC subclasses): A63B (165), B32B (19), B29C (6), B29K (6).

Counts come from keyword matching on titles and abstracts, so they are indicative, not a legal count. Some matches are different products that share a word.

14 real patent publications related to a pickleball paddle

Pickleball Paddle with Replaceable Core, Replaceable Face Sheet, and/or Hand Guard US-2026054142-A1 2026 · OFINNO LLC
An example pickleball paddle comprises a handle, a frame fixedly or removably attached to the handle and configured to have an open configuration and a close configuration, a core, and a face sheet arranged over the core and fitte…
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Pickleball paddle with improved core US-2026048307-A1 2026 · Six Zero Pickleball PTY LTD
A pickleball paddle comprising: a handle; a ball striking blade formed integrally with the handle, the blade being formed from a core layer sandwiched between outer layers to form a unitary body; wherein the core layer comprises a…
View on Google Patents
Pickleball paddle with an angled handle US-2026069941-A1 2026 · DRONE PADDLE SPORTS LLC
A gameplay paddle with an ergonomic angled handle is disclosed. The angled game paddle handle allows for perfect straight-out extension of the forearm and wrist creating maximum reach and the greatest amount of hitting surface or …
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Pickleball paddle with reinforced core US-12722057-B2 2026 · RONBUS CORP
A pickleball paddle including a handle portion and a head portion is disclosed. The head portion is operably connected to the handle portion and includes a core portion, a first layer, a second layer, and a reinforcing member. The…
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Replaceable face pickleball paddle US-2025345678-A1 2025 · STROH DUSTIN BRICE
The present disclosure relates to a pickleball paddle. The pickleball paddle includes a head connected to a handle. The head includes a core having two opposite sides and a paddle surface is removably disposed on both opposite sid…
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Pickleball paddle having integral handle and rim assembly US-2025041685-A1 2025 · KARSTEN MFG CORP
A pickleball paddle having an injection molded multi-piece frame surrounding and supporting a hitting face assembly. The frame provides design flexibility to separate control of the paddle stiffness from the playability characteri…
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Pickleball paddle with a centralized core US-2025018264-A1 2025 · GEARBOX INC
A pickleball paddle with a centralized core, comprises a plate body and a grip body, the plate body has a core, a frame and two surface layers, the frame is disposed on a periphery of the core, the plate body defines a first ball-…
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Pickleball paddle with segmented cores US-2025018265-A1 2025 · GEARBOX INC
A pickleball paddle with segmented cores, comprising a plate body and a grip body, the plate body has a core, a frame and two surface layers, the frame is disposed on a periphery of the core, the core defines at least two ball-str…
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Pickleball paddle and method US-2025090914-A1 2025 · POPS PADDLES PTY LTD
A pickleball paddle comprising: a handle; a ball striking blade formed integrally with the handle; the handle and the blade being formed from a core layer sandwiched between outer layers to form a unitary body; wherein the core la…
View on Google Patents
Pickleball paddle US-12370424-B1 2025 · Spartus LLC
A pickleball paddle includes a handle, and a paddle head coupled with the handle. The paddle head includes a first outer faceplate, a second outer faceplate, and a core arranged between the first outer faceplate and the second out…
View on Google Patents
Pickleball paddle with controllable ball dwell and method US-2024017141-A1 2024 · GEARBOX INC
A composite molded sports paddle comprising a head with a paddle face; a handle; and a transition area between the head and the handle, wherein the transition area includes a ball dwell control mechanism.
View on Google Patents
Pickleball paddle having replaceable face sheet US-2024408462-A1 2024 · DONGGUAN XINRUI TECH CO LTD
A pickleball paddle having a replaceable face sheet includes a paddle body. The paddle body has a paddle face portion, a handle portion connected to the paddle face portion, and a paddle core inside the paddle face portion. In pra…
View on Google Patents
Pickleball paddle with multi-function handle US-2024424368-A1 2024 · PLAY DISTRIB LLC
A pickleball paddle having a multi-function handle. The paddle comprises a head having a front side, a back side, and a perimeter edge. The perimeter edge has a top edge, a bottom edge, a first lateral edge, and a second lateral e…
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Dual core pickleball paddle US-2017021247-A1 2017 · INDIAN IND INC
Certain embodiments of the present disclosure describe a paddle that may be used for racquet sports. The paddle includes a handle and a blade portion. The blade portion includes a core layer that is formed from at least two differ…
View on Google Patents

What this means for your idea

Because patents cover specific combinations of features, the useful question is not “has a pickleball paddle been patented?” but “has my combination of features been described before?” Sports equipment patents tend to cover the grip, impact absorption, training feedback, and how gear is adjusted.

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Guides that help with this

First-look landscape. Not exhaustive. Not legal advice. This page lists keyword-matched publications from a limited database; it does not say whether any product is or isn't covered by a patent, whether a patent is still in force, or whether your idea is patentable. Consult a registered patent attorney or agent.