Ford sues Ferrari over the F150 brand

La Ford has decided to take legal action against Ferrari which recently named its new F1 car, Ferrari F150. The name was chosen by the Maranello company as a tribute to the 150th anniversary of the unification of Italy but F150 is also the name of a Ford pickup.

Ford Motor Co. holds the rights to exploit the F150 brand and has initiated legal action against Ferrari in Federal Court in Detroit.

Ford lawyers filed a complaint on Friday alleging damage to the brand and unspecified damages, also in reference to Ferrari's creation of the ferrari150.com website.

Furthermore, the logo chosen by Ferrari for the F150 would be very similar to that of the Ford F-150.

Ford was also seeking $100.000 in damages under the Anticybersquatting Consumer Protection Act for Internet domains that may confuse the public.

Ford intends to prevent Ferrari from using the trademark in the USA.

“Ferrari has misappropriated the registered F-150 trademark, to capitalize and profit from the brand developed by Ford” reads Ford's complaint.

The Maranello company has not yet commented on the matter.

“It's an important brand for us and we've spent many years and a lot of resources in terms of advertising to spread the brand,” FOrd spokeswoman Anne Marie Gattari told the Detroit News.

“It's a brand we care about, it's one of our flagship vehicles,” he added.