The Ford Motor Company took Ferrari to court on Wednesday over the use of the F150 name, following the launch of Ferrari’s 2011 car of the same name.
The name has been a trademark of the American car manufacturer since 1975 when it introduced the F-150 truck, a vehicle which has seen sales top $180 billion.
The company is seeking damages over infringement of the trademark, cybersquatting and accusing the Italian marque of misappropriating the famous name.
The lawsuit claims Ford has suffered irreparable harm to its F-150 brand and is claiming unspecified damages as well as banning the use of the name on any Ferrari merchandise sold in the U.S.
The Detroit based company is also claiming $100,000 in damages over the registration of the www.ferrarif150.com domain name, which it claims goes against the Anticybersquatting Consumer Protection Act.
“F-150 is an established and important Ford trademark and the name of the best-seller in Ford’s F-Series, America’s best-selling trucks for 34 years and best-selling vehicles for 29 years,” read a statement from Ford.
“Through extensive sales and advertising and exclusive use, Ford has earned invaluable goodwill in the F-150 trademark. That hard-won goodwill is seriously threatened by Ferrari’s adoption of ‘F150’.
“When Ferrari announced the name of its race car as ‘F150’, Ford asked Ferrari to change the name. Ferrari did not respond in a timely manner, leaving Ford no choice but to take legal action to protect its important brand and trademark rights.”
Update: It seems Ferrari have responded to the claims and renamed the F150, the F150th.
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