Tiger Woods has “a target on his back” and must prepare for “real fight” in Sun Day Red legal attack

Tiger Woods' brand Sun Day Red is less than a year old but is already facing a second lawsuit, this time from sportswear giant Puma who feel the logo is too similar to their own.

Tiger Woods’ brand Sun Day Red is less than a year old but is already facing a second lawsuit, this time from sportswear giant Puma who feel the logo is too similar to their own.

I went to see Mufasa: The Lion King on Sunday and if it taught me anything it’s that things get messy when big cats from different families don’t see eye-to-eye. This is not good news for Tiger Woods, whose Sun Day Red brand is under legal attack from Puma for allegedly using a logo too similar to the one the German sports giant has been rocking for years.

Tiger Woods’ golf apparel brand Sun Day Red got off to an inauspicious start when it launched last year, with first impressions ranging from “underwhelming” to “it sucks”.

It’s perhaps understandable, then, that established brands want to distance themselves from Sun Day Red as much as possible.

In September, Tigeraire –  a company that manufactures cooling products – filed a motion of opposition with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, requesting Sun Day Red’s trademark application be denied. Tigeraire believe the Sun Day Red logo “unlawfully hijacked” its own branding, which also features a leaping tiger. The case is ongoing.

And now Puma are stamping their paws, too, having filed an opposition to the Sun Day Red logo, which they feel is too similar to their leaping cat emblem. They state: “Due to the confusing similarity of the marks and the identical, legally identical, or closely related nature of the goods and services of the parties, consumer confusion is likely between the Challenged Marks and the Leaping Cat logo.”

Personally, I think Tigeraire has much more of a (striped) leg to stand on than Puma, whose logo is facing the other direction and isn’t even the same animal. If I were Puma – and, to be clear, I’m not looking to start another big cat trademark war here – I’d be more worried about Slazenger.

There are hundreds of brands using a tiger in their logo, from universities to car manufacturers, web design firms to pizza takeaways in Stoke-on-Trent. The tiger symbol has cultural meanings of strength, bravery, power, daring (must be quite the pizza) and is one of the 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac. Do Puma really think people are going to get confused between the two brands? Or were their lawyers just looking for something to do?

Tiger himself is yet to comment and has been busy overseeing the delayed launch of his new TGL golf league, which started last night to mixed reviews.

Although Sun Day Red is Tiger’s own baby, it’s still part of TaylorMade, with whom Tiger has an equipment deal. In a statement to CNBC, TaylorMade said, “We feel very confident in our trademarks and logos.”

But Josh Gerben, a trademark attorney at Gerben IP, told NBC San Diego that the challenge from Puma is “significant.”

“This is a real fight,” said Gerben, whose firm is not involved in the Puma lawsuit. “Any time you have open litigation you can lose. I think Puma has a legitimate case.”

The two parties could still reach a settlement before the case goes to trial, which would be unlikely to start before September 2026, according to Gerben.

Gerben said disputes over logos are much less common than trademark disputes over names or slogans.

“Tiger certainly has a target on his back,” he said. “He’s big enough to move markets.”

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About the author

Rob McGarr – Contributing Editor

Rob has been a writer and editor for over 15 years, covering all manner of subjects for leading magazines and websites.

He has previously been Features Editor of Today’s Golfer magazine and Digital Editor of todays-golfer.com, and held roles at FHM, Men’s Running, Golf World, and MAN Magazine.

You can follow him on YouTube where – depending on what day of the week it is – he’ll either be trying his best to get his handicap down to scratch or shoving his clubs in a cupboard, never to be seen again.

Rob is a member at Royal North Devon, England’s oldest golf course, where he plays off a three-handicap.