Business is a funny thing. There inevitably comes a point when two parties working together for any length of time don’t quite see eye-to-eye. It’s how you work through those conflicts can sometime spell the difference between success and failure. It’s also probably best that this strife plays out behind the scenes, rather than in the public eye—and especially not in a lawsuit. Unfortunately, that’s how things have gone for Aston Martin and Zhejiang Geely Holding Group, who owns 18% of the famed British automaker.
Aston is taking Geely back to court in the U.K., appealing a decision three years earlier that the winged logo for Geely’s London electric taxi subsidiary did not infringe upon the luxury brand’s famous emblem, which dates back to 1927. The U.K.’s Intellectual Property Office tribunal ultimately decided after Aston’s initial claim that winged insignias are quite common in the automotive industry, citing Mini and Bentley as other prominent examples.
Now Aston is seeking to overturn that earlier ruling. And, if you ask Geely, which increased its stake in the company the very same year that first decision was handed down, there’s nothing to see here.
“This is a routine legal process in trademark confirmation and does not represent an unusual or hostile ‘legal battle,'” a spokesperson from the Chinese conglomerate, which majority-owns Volvo, Polestar, and Lotus, told The Telegraph, adding that the two firms “operate independently” and that such disputes are “common in the normal course of business and commercial brand protection.”
Aston’s official line, unexpectedly, comes across slightly more terse. “Aston Martin Lagonda does not comment on ongoing legal proceedings,” a representative told the paper. “Protecting our brand and intellectual property is a priority for the company, and we will continue to take appropriate steps to safeguard our trade marks in relevant markets.”
It’s not our place to say whether these logos look legally distinct enough; that’s a matter for the U.K.’s IP experts. That said, we will contest Geely’s comment that none of this is unusual, precisely because of the corporate affiliation. The London EV Company, as it’s officially known, dates back to the early 2010s, when Manganese Bronze Holdings, the previous owner of London Taxi International, entered administration. Geely swooped in and formed what is now LEVC, which previously had a winged logo that is considerably narrower than the new proposal that has provoked Aston’s ire.
All we can do is propose an easy solution: Aston Martin black cabs. Don’t say it would never do such a thing; this was the company that gave the world the inexplicable Cygnet, after all.
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