Ford Sues Ferrari Over F150

[Mibz]

LOL. I hope they win.

http://www.pitpass.com/fes_php/pitpa...s_art_id=42925

As Formula One attempts to get to grips with the fact that there are two teams determined to call themselves Lotus, the Ford Motor Company has launched a lawsuit against Ferrari over the naming rights of the F150.

In the hours following Ferrari's announcement on January 25 that the 2011 Maranello challenger had been designated the F150, wags were commenting that they hoped the car would perform better than Ford's pick-up truck of the same name.

Now having contacted, Ferrari regarding the matter, and claiming to have had no response, Ford has issued the following statement:"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. 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.

In 1963, Enzo Ferrari came close to selling his company to Ford, indeed, the American manufacturer spent a small fortune auditing the Italian company and carrying out the necessary legal negotiations. However, adamant that the American company would have no say in the overall running of his racing operation, and angry that the deal would mean his cars couldn't contest the Indy 500, Ferrari vetoed the deal at the eleventh hour much to Henry Ford II's disgust.

The American subsequently began negotiations with a number of British manufacturers with a view to building a sport car to take on Ferrari at Le Mans. The Ford GT40, having made its Sports Car debut at the Nurburigng in 1964, went on to take the first three places at Le Mans just two years later. The drivers were Chris Amon and another New Zealander whose name was to become iconic in motorsport, Bruce McLaren.

Any chance Ferrari might rename its new car Lotus

[Idratherbsidewayz]

LOL, I was thinking this when I saw that thread on the unveiling. Would be hilarious if they won...

[AE92_TreunoSC]

Hell ford won over the T100 naming but lost over the LS of the LS400 if I recall.

[Xtrema]

I saw this coming when I read they are naming it F150.

[01RedDX]

.

[Toma]

Stupid Ford....

A Ferrari with the same name is an image booster lol.

[Hot_Wheelz]

Maybe it should be the Ferrari F-Teenthousand.

[Mibz]

After Ferrari's 2010 season I can't blame Ford :P

[nich148_9]

Because so many people are going to walk into a Ford showroom, ask for an F150 and then be surprised when it's a pickup truck and not a Formula 1 car.

[Idiot Stick]

Originally posted by nich148_9
Because so many people are going to walk into a Ford showroom, ask for an F150 and then be surprised when it's a pickup truck and not a Formula 1 car.

I would NOT be surprised if someone did it in America, and claimed false advertisement and sued Ford.

People in the states are generally pretty stupid, or act stupid to get free shit

[AaronK]

Lol fuckin Ford, cant build vehicles for shit and sue people who can. lol

[jsn]

Meh, I've seen people sue for less. At least this does have some grounds. I don't blame them. Ford did have F-150 first...

[rage2]

If Ford doesn't sue, they risk losing the F-150 trademark. I don't think they really care TBH.

[AE92_TreunoSC]

BMW made infiniti stop using the M trademark as well.

It's business.

[spikerS]

Originally posted by rage2
If Ford doesn't sue, they risk losing the F-150 trademark. I don't think they really care TBH.

exactly. If ferrarri does something spectacular, and people all over the world start associating the f150 with ferrarri instead of Ford, Ford would have a harder time keeping the name. By nipping it in the bud in it's infantcy, they have a greater chance of winning, and costing both companies less in the long run.

[[Yu]]

Just domestic hate, on beyond as usual.

[Godfuader]

How does Ford have grounds to do so? Consumers cannot purchase a Ferrari F150. They are two completely different types of industries.

[rage2]

Originally posted by Godfuader
How does Ford have grounds to do so? Consumers cannot purchase a Ferrari F150. They are two completely different types of industries.

Ford has grounds because the F-150 name has been a registered trademark for 15 years. Like I posted before, if Ford ignored Ferrari's use of the F150, it sets a precedence for future trademark violations. If GM releases a F150 truck in the future, they could say Ferrari used it as well without incident and ford would lose the trademark.

It's an easy win for Ford IMO, seeing as the F150 is such an established trademark. It'll probably end up as a cheap licensing deal between Ford and Ferrari to both use the name, kinda like how Cisco owned the iPhone trademark and licensed it to Apple, allowing both parties to market iPhone products.

[K3RMiTdot]

Originally posted by Idiot Stick


I would NOT be surprised if someone did it in America, and claimed false advertisement and sued Ford.

People in the states are generally pretty stupid, or act stupid to get free shit

lmao ditto, would be funny if we saw this on the news too

[chongkee_]

That didn't take long. Ferrari just rebranded their F1 car.
http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/89384