Formula 1 Latest News: Ford to sue Ferrari over their 2011 car name ‘F150’
Ford, the American multinational automakers have announced to sue Ferrari for using the name, ‘F150’ for their 2011 Formula One car. The auto-manufacturers have claimed to own rights of the title; a model of their famous full-size pickup truck series is
called ‘F150’.
Ferrari was the first team to launch their 2011 season’s car. The launching ceremony took place in Italy on the 28th of January, amidst press and fans from all across the globe. Although, no one objected to the car’s name at the event or even
during the following week, Ford stirred the media earlier this week by announcing their claim over the car name.
Until the 26th of January, Ferrari's 2011 season car was code-named ‘288’. Only a couple of days ahead of its launch, Ferrari decided to name it ‘F150’. The team announced that they wanted to pay tribute to the 150th anniversary of Italian unification,
and hence had named their car accordingly.
On the other hand, Ford Motor Co. accused the team for attempting to cash the reputation it has built over the years with immense hard work. Ford spokeswoman, Anne Marie Gattari told the media, "This is an important trademark for us and we've spent many
years and lots of advertising resources on establishing this name and getting the trademark. It's one we take very, very seriously. It's one of our flagship vehicles."
Ferrari has announced to take the case in Detroit Federal Court, USA. After discussing the issue in the media for only a couple of days, the Michigan based company filed a lawsuit against Ferrari this Wednesday. They accused Ferrari for damaging the brand
name, taking advantage of Ford’s reputation and for causing other unspecified damages. Moreover, Ferrari's new website, www.ferrari150.com, especially designed after the launch of its new car is also listed in the charges against the squad.
Another big accusation on Ferrari is its F150 logo design. The logo embellishes the new website and is reported to be similar to Ford’s F-150 logo. As per the written law, a $100,000 penalty could be charged on Ferrari according to the Anti-cyber squatting
Consumer Protection Act. The law holds this fine for any act relating to internet domains that cause confusion for the masses.
Moreover, Ford stated earlier today that it aims to keep Ferrari from using the trademark in the US. A spokesman from Ford stated, "Ferrari has misappropriated the F-150 trademark ... in order to capitalise on and profit from the substantial goodwill that
Ford has developed."
However, the Italian team is so far quiet on the matter and has not commented back on any of the accusations so far.
Tags: