Audi has lost its legal battle in Europe against Nio over the name of its cars. In Germany, however, the situation is different in this respect.
Last summer, Audi launched a legal battle against Nio in Europe. The object of the conflict? The name of two of the electric cars of the Chinese brand, which is arriving in Europe.
Indeed, the vehicles of the manufacturer of the Middle Empire resume a nomenclature close to Audi. For the firm with the rings, the ES6 and ES8 are too close to its sports sedans, the S6 and S8.
It was enough for the manufacturer of Ingolstadt to file a complaint against Nio on this subject. Audi thus argued with the European office of intellectual property, and with the backing of lawyers, that the name of the Chinese models was too close to the patents it held. According to him, having the names ranging from S1 to S9 prevented another brand from using these names, even with another letter in front.
We finally learned that the European office of intellectual properties is not of this opinion. The Nios will therefore be able to continue to be called ES6 and ES8 on the Old Continent, except in Germany.
Indeed, the German patent filing office has joined the manufacturer from his country. Thus, across the Rhine, the name of the Nio models is deemed to be impossible to use.
The office has ruled that there is a possibility of believing that the two models “come from the same manufacturer. There is therefore a danger of confusion which goes beyond the mere association between names.. In the country, Nio had foreseen the blow and changed the name of the ES7 to EL7. Without excluding a call to try to win this fight.
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