General Motors and its subsidiary, a self-driving car developer Cruise, on Friday filed a lawsuit against Ford claiming that its “BlueCruise” name was too similar to that of GM’s “Super Cruise” trademark and Cruise’s trademark.
In April, Ford introduced “BlueCruise,” a hands-free highway driving system for some of its vehicles. GM’s “Super Cruise” refers to its hands-free driving assistance feature, which it says has been included in Cadillac cars since 2017 and advertised the feature as early as 2012, according to the lawsuit.
“Ford’s decision to rebrand by using a core mark used by GM and Cruise will inevitably cause confusion between the parties, the affiliation, connection, or association between them, and/or origin, sponsorship, or approval of their goods and services,” states the lawsuit, which was filed in the U.S. District Court, Northern District of California.
According to the lawsuit, GM, Cruise and Ford “engaged in protracted discussions” following Ford’s announcement, “but Ford insisted on moving forward with the ‘BlueCruise’ name despite Cruise’s preexisting rights.”
GM and Cruise are asking for Ford to pay monetary damages related to the incident and for the manufacturer to stop using the “BlueCruise” name.
In a statement filed early Saturday, GM said: “While GM had hoped to resolve the trademark infringement matter with Ford amicably, we were left with no choice but to vigorously defend our brands and protect the equity our products and technology have earned over several years in the market,” according to Reuters.
According to the wire service, Ford said in a statement that the lawsuit was “meritless and frivolous,” saying: “Drivers for decades have understood what cruise control is, every automaker offers it, and ‘cruise’ is common shorthand for the capability.”
“That’s why BlueCruise was chosen as the name for the Blue Oval’s next evolution of Ford’s Intelligent Adaptive Cruise Control,” Ford continued.
The Hill has reached out to GM and Ford for comment.