ferrari announced in 2018 that its first suv is to be called the purosangue. the italian phrase means "pure blood," a name meant to signal that the suv would be a true-to-form ferrari. the problem is that the purosangue foundation, a small italian charity that fights against doping, has been using that name since 2013.
that's why ferrari is suing for the right to use the name, according to the financial times and carscoops. while the carmaker doesn't dispute that the purosangue foundation trademarked the name first, the company argues that the small charity has not made enough use of its trademark over the past five years to bar ferrari from using the name.
an attorney for the purosangue foundation, in an interview with the financial times, argued that the foundation's branding partnership with adidas represents ongoing use of the brand. the foundation has set up operations in other countries, including running camps in kenya. ferrari and the purosangue foundation held talks to find an amicable solution for both parties, but when those failed, the foundation blocked ferrari's european trademark application.
and so ferrari, famously litigious and protective of its brand, is bringing the purosangue foundation to court in bologna, italy. it's unclear if this'll force a name change, but we've seen it happen before. the tesla model 3 was supposed to be the tesla model e (making the four-car lineup s-e-x-y), but ford's trademark prevented the electric carmaker from using the name. it's also not ferrari's first high-profile branding dispute, with the carmaker having previously threatened legal action against an instagram influencer who used his ferrari in "distasteful" posts and musical artist deadmau5 for building a "purrari."
from: road & track