Ford has filed a lawsuit against a start-up Internet auto leasing company — Model E Corp. — claiming its name is too close its historic Model T car, according to media reports.
Dearborn, Michigan-based Ford said it filed a trademark infringement lawsuit in Michigan federal court against Fremont, California-based Model E, a new Internet company which plans to lease luxury cars on the web, seeking to bar the online firm from using the name, a Ford spokesperson said.
Ford also is seeking all profits derived from the use of the name, unspecified damages and payment of its legal fees, according to the lawsuit filed last week in the U.S. District Court in Detroit.
"We have a history of using the nomenclature beginning with the word 'Model' and then followed by a letter, so we do think that (Model E) would be perceived as associated with Ford," the spokesperson said, adding that the name is being used for Ford's internal program to distribute computers to all its employees. Both companies said they are attempting to negotiate a settlement.
