Golf legend Tiger Woods caught in massive legal headache
Tiger Woods' clothing brand Sun Day Red is accused of 'unlawfully hijacking' the logo of a company that specialises in making cooling products.
Tiger Woods is embroiled in a fresh legal headache, according to a report.
Per CNBC, a court filing has revealed the golfer's clothing brand Sun Day Red is accused of 'unlawfully hijacking' the logo of Tigeraire.
Tigeraire specialises in making cooling products for athletes.
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In the filing, the company said: "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."
Woods, now 48, launched Sun Day Red one month after he brought his 27-year association with Nike to an end at the turn of the year.
The Sun Day Red logo is comprised of 15 strokes, each representing his major championship victories.
Woods plans to redesign the logo should he win another major.
Sun Day Red is a joint venture between the golfer and his equipment manufacturer TaylorMade.
In response to the accusation, a spokesperson told CNBC: "We have full confidence in the securitisation of our trademarks."
Here's a look at the Sun Day Red logo and Tigeraire's:
Woods and the Sun Day Red team will reportedly have 40 days to file an answer to the notice.
Trademark attorney Josh Gerben told CNBC he expects the case to be settled before going to trial.
Woods officially launched Sun Day Red on 13 February ahead of the annual PGA Tour event he hosts at Riviera in Los Angeles.
Sun Day Red replaced Nike's TW Collection as Woods' official clothing brand.
Woods wore the Nike swoosh for the last time at the 2023 PNC Championship.
The brand was named Sun Day Red and not Sunday Red because 'there is a special power in 3s'.
"It was a fun way for us to create something completely different and unexepected," Woods previously said.
Woods has not played a professional golf tournament since he missed the cut at the 2024 Open Championship at Royal Troon.
He said he had no plans to play again until the aforementioned parent/child event in December.
But two weeks ago it was confirmed that he had surgery on his back for the sixth time in his career.
Woods underwent a microdecompression surgery to his lumbar spine to remedy a nerve impingement.
The procedure was performed by Dr. Sheeraz Qureshi of the Hospital for Special Surgery in West Palm Beach, Florida.
In a statement, Woods said: "The surgery went smoothly, and I'm hopeful this will help alleviate the back spasms and pain I was experiencing throughout most of the 2024 season
"I look forward to tackling this rehab and preparing myself to get back to normal life activities, including golf."
The statement also confirmed that the surgery would not impact on his ability to take part in the launch of TGL.
Woods has played infrequently since he sustained significant injuries in his 2021 car crash.
In total, he has made 10 PGA Tour starts since and completed only four rounds twice.
He made the cut at The Masters in April, but finished dead last after shooting 82-87 over the weekend.
Woods also missed the cut at the U.S. Open and PGA Championship.
