Tiger Woods’ new logo for his Sun Day Red golf apparel line is facing a trademark dispute.
Tigeraire, a company that makes cooling products for athletes, has filed a notice of opposition with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, alleging that Sun Day Red and Tiger Woods have “unlawfully hijacked” Tigeraire’s design into their own branding.
“The actions of SDR, 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 said.
The Tigeraire logo, left, and Sun Day Red’s logo.U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
TaylorMade Golf, the company behind Sun Day Red, told CNBC, “We have full confidence in the securitization of our trademarks.”
Sun Day Red was launched in May, following Woods’ 27-year partnership with Nike.
The brand pays homage to the fact that Woods always wears red on Sundays and the logo is a tribute to the 15 majors he’s won over the course of his career, Woods said previously.
“Sun Day Red continues to penetrate the North American marketplace,” TaylorMade CEO David Abeles said. “Our products have been extremely well received.”
A spokesman for Woods declined to comment on the matter.
Woods and the Sun Day Red team will have 40 days to file an answer on the notice.
The opposition proceeding will bring the trademark application that Woods filed for his new logo to a halt, Josh Gerben, a trademark attorney, told CNBC. It is unlikely to affect future production of the line, though, he said.
“They now likely give themselves an opportunity to negotiate with Tiger and TaylorMade to see if there’s a resolution that might be had,” Gerben said.
He expects the case to settle before it gets close to a trial.
“By filing this opposition, the portable fan company really basically gets them a seat at the table to negotiate,” he said. “Because in order for Tiger and TaylorMade to get this trademark registered there, you’re gonna have to win this case.”