They say a Tiger doesn’t change its stripes, but Woods may have to.
According to a court filing, Tiger Woods’ apparel brand, Sun Day Red, has “unlawfully hijacked” the logo belonging to Tigeraire, a company that makes cooling products for athletes.
The filing was registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on Wednesday Sept. 25.
After splitting from Nike following a 27-year relationship, Woods created Sun Day Red with the backing of TaylorMade Golf.
The company had submitted a trademark application for their logo — which pays homage to the signature red Woods’ wears on game days and his 15 career major victories — but will now have to clear the dispute before moving forward.
As reported by CNBC, the court filing claims: “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 filing concludes.
In response, TaylorMade told CNBC, “We have full confidence in the securitization of our trademarks.”
A spokesperson for Woods declined comment.
Trademark attorney Josh Gerben told CNBC that he expects the case to reach a resolution before heading to trial.
“[Tigeraire] now likely gives themselves an opportunity to negotiate with Tiger and TaylorMade to see if there’s a resolution that might be had,” Gerben said. “By filing this opposition, the portable fan company really basically gets them a seat at the table to negotiate.”
In order for Sun Day Red to register the trademark, they would have to win their case against Tigeraire.
The company has 40 days to answer the opposition notice.
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