- Puma has filed a notice of opposition against Tiger Woods' apparel and sneaker company Sun Day Red over its tiger logo.
- Puma said the mark will cause confusion among consumers.
- This is the second notice of opposition against Sun Day Red, whose logo features a tiger with 15 marks representing the major championships Woods has won.
Sun Day Red is not out of the woods yet in regard to trademarking its logo.
Footwear giant Puma filed a last-minute notice of opposition against Tiger Woods' logos tied to his Sun Day Red brand, according to a filing last week.
Get top local stories in San Diego delivered to you every morning. >Sign up for NBC San Diego's News Headlines newsletter.
The German sneaker and apparel company says the Sun Day Red logo is too similar to the logo that Puma has been using since 1969. The company filed to prevent the TaylorMade-owned golf brand from being able to use its proposed mark.
"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," Puma said in the filing.
Sun Day Red, announced in February following Woods' 27-year partnership with Nike, also uses a leaping cat in its logo. The brand's name reflects the fact that Woods always wears red on Sundays, and the 15 lines on the logo honor his 15 major championship wins over the course of his career, Woods said previously.
This is the second notice of opposition against Sun Day Red. A small company called Tigeraire filed a notice of opposition in September. That case remains in litigation in federal court.
In a statement to CNBC, TaylorMade said, "We feel very confident in our trademarks and logos."
Money Report
Josh Gerben, a trademark attorney at Gerben IP, said 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, likely in 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."
