Land Rover can’t trademark Defender shape
JAGUAR LAND ROVER (JLR) has officially lost its UK court bid to secure trademark rights for the shape of its original Defender 4x4, allowing Ineos Automotive, an offshoot of a multibillion-pound chemicals firm, to proceed with producing its similarly styled Grenadier.
JLR has been pursuing cases to trademark the Defender’s name and exterior look for four years. It first lost in court in 2019 after a long-running battle with Ineos owner
Sir Jim Ratcliffe. It then lodged a high court appeal, which has now been dismissed.
The judge in the case upheld findings by the UK’S Intellectual Property Office that the shapes JLR sought to protect weren’t distinctive enough to trademark. She claimed that while some enthusiasts might see the similarities in design as significant, they “may be unimportant or may not even register with average consumers”.
In a statement, JLR noted its disappointment in the ruling, given that the Defender’s shape is already trademarked in a number of other countries.
“The Land Rover Defender is an iconic vehicle which is part of Land Rover’s past, present and future,” it said. “Its unique shape is instantly recognisable and signifies the Land Rover brand around the world.”
Ineos responded by saying that the Defender’s design “does not serve as a badge of origin for JLR’S goods” and confirmed it will press ahead with plans to launch the Grenadier next year.
It remains unclear if the offroader will be produced at new facilities in Portugal and Wales, as originally planned, or if Ineos will buy Daimler’s unwanted factory in Hambach, France, and move its operations there.