Tiger Woods lost his cool over Augusta National | Golf News

Few dared cross Tiger Woods when the all-time great was in his prime whether or not it’s on or off the golf course. And that’s one thing that artist Rick Rush practically discovered to his value, regardless of his popularity for seamlessly reproducing well-known sporting scenes.

The dispute centered round one of the previous world No. 1’s most iconic profession moments, his maiden Masters title at Augusta in 1997. The 48-year-old would go on to win a additional 14 main titles and grow to be one of the most marketable stars in sporting historical past.

But simply a 12 months after he donned the inexperienced jacket for the primary time in his profession, Jireh Publishing, owned by Rush’s brother Don, issued a limited-edition print of his sibling’s portray depicting the golfer profitable this maiden Masters. The prints duly went on sale at round £550 ($713) every.

However, legal professionals for ETW, a company based by Woods to control the advertising and marketing of his image, quickly acted. What adopted was a five-year legal battle, the place the mood of the American seemingly boiled over.

According to stories on the time, Woods had been adamant there needed to be a clamp-down on his likeness rights. As a end result, Rush was caught within the crossfire and though a Federal District Court in Ohio initially ruled in favor of Jireh Publishing, in 2002 the star opted to sue.

His legal group claimed that Jireh Publishing engaged in trademark infringement when it offered copies of the Rush portray. However, the next 12 months an American court docket ruled that Rick Rush himself had not violated Woods’ trademark.

Delivering the decision, Judge James Graham said: “ETW asks us, in effect, to constitute Woods himself as a walking, talking trademark. As a general rule, a person’s image or likeness cannot function as a trademark.”

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Rush himself, now 78, lauded “a huge victory for freedom of expression.” The media labeled it a win for ‘David over Goliath’, and one of the uncommon events when the icon didn’t emerge as a winner.

Woods, who by then had eight Major championships underneath his belt, declined to handle the matter publicly. But later in his profession, he would go on to have deeper legal troubles, most notably in 2017 when he was not the aggressor in court docket.

In May that 12 months, he was arrested for driving underneath the affect of alcohol or medicine after being caught asleep in his car. He later pleaded guilty to reckless driving, and acquired a 12 months of probation, fined virtually £200 ($260), and ordered to endure 50 hours of group service.