Tiger Woods accused of unlawfully hijacking another brand’s logo for Sun Day Red: Reports
Tiger Woods has been accused of copying another brand's logo for his Sun Day Red apparel line. The golfer's company is now facing a trademark dispute with Tigeraire.
Earlier this year, the 15-time major champion introduced Sun Day Red, his personalized clothing line, after parting ways with Nike. Since then, several items have been released. However, the company is now embroiled in a controversy.
On Thursday, September 26, CNBC reported that Tigeraire, which produces cooling products for athletes, has filed a notice of opposition with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, accusing Woods's company of unlawfully hijacking Tigeraire’s design.
"The actions of Sun Day Red, TaylorMade, and Tiger Woods blatantly ignore Tigeraire’s long-standing protected mark, brand and identity, violate federal and state intellectual property law, and disregard the consumer confusion their actions create. SDR’s application should be denied," the court filing read as per CNBC.
However, TaylorMade Golf is confident in the securitization of its trademarks. For those unfamiliar, the golf equipment manufacturing giant is behind Sun Day Red. Tiger Woods's spokesperson declined to comment on the matter. They have 40 days to file a response to the notice.
"It's transitional" - When Tiger Woods spoke about the timing of Sun Day Red launch
Earlier this year, Tiger Woods ended his 27-year partnership with Nike to launch Sun Day Red, his personal apparel line. During the launch event in February, the veteran golfer mentioned that this was the right time to introduce his personal line.
"It's transitional. I'm no longer a kid anymore," he said as per ESPN. "Life changes, I have kids now, and this is an important part of transitioning into this part of my life, to have a product and a brand that I'm proud of."
Woods and his team came up with the name 'Sun Day Red' to commemorate the golfer's legacy with the color red. Notably, the 82-time PGA Tour champion has been sporting a red T-shirt in the final rounds of events because his mother believed that red is his power color.
The Sun Day Red logo features a tiger with 15 stripes, symbolizing the veteran golfer's 15 major championship wins. However, Woods has mentioned that he would add another stripe in the event of a sixteenth major win in the future.
While Sun Day Red was officially launched in May, Woods debuted the outfit at the Genesis Invitational in February.