Tiger Woods’ brand logo at centre of fierce trademark dispute

Tiger Woods’ golf apparel brand, Sun Day Red (SDR), has found itself in the middle of a trademark dispute with Tigeraire, a company known for manufacturing cooling products. Tigeraire has accused Woods and SDR of “unlawfully hijacking” its logo, claiming both designs feature a tiger leaping to the right with distinctive stripes—too many similarities for the company to overlook.

Sun Day Red, which launched in May, uses a tiger logo with 15 stripes, symbolizing Woods’ 15 major championship victories. Woods has said he plans to add more stripes for each future major win. However, the trademark dispute could prevent him from doing so, depending on the legal outcome.

At first glance, both logos share common elements: a monochrome color scheme, a hand-drawn style, and a similarly positioned wordmark. These aspects have led some to argue that the logos look alike. However, there are also notable differences. The design styles of the tigers, their line weights, and overall details vary enough that it’s not entirely clear-cut.

Tigeraire’s trademark opposition filing strongly contests SDR’s use of the logo, stating, “The actions of SDR, TaylorMade, and Tiger Woods blatantly ignore Tigeraire’s long-standing protected mark, brand, and identity. They violate federal and state intellectual property law and create consumer confusion.” Tigeraire is seeking to have SDR’s trademark application denied.

On the other side, Sun Day Red and TaylorMade Golf are pushing back. They have filed their own lawsuit, arguing that SDR has not infringed on Tigeraire’s trademark. According to their legal team, Tigeraire is attempting to “extract a windfall” from Woods’ larger brand.

This trademark battle isn’t unique to Woods, as other public figures, like Meghan Markle, are also dealing with logo-related legal challenges—showing that even the most recognizable names can face these kinds of disputes.