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General Motors has filed a lawsuit to try to prevent Ford from using the name “BlueCruise” for the hands-free driving feature it announced earlier this year. First reported by the Detroit Free Press, GM says the name is too close to Super Cruise, the name of its own hands-free driving technology introduced in 2017, and its autonomous vehicle subsidiary Cruise. GM is suing Ford for trademark infringement and unspecified damages.
In the lawsuit filed Friday, GM said the companies had been involved in “protracted discussions” over the name but were unable to resolve the issue. “Ford knew exactly what it was doing,” GM alleges in its complaint, adding that if Ford “wanted to adopt a unique new brand, it could easily have done so without using the word ‘Cruise’.”
Ford announced BlueCruise as the name of its hands-free driver assistance system in April and said it would start broadcasting the feature via live software updates for select vehicles later this year.
GM did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Saturday. The company told Free press that he would have preferred to resolve the situation amicably but that he had “no other choice but to vigorously defend our brands and to protect the equity that our products and our technology have gained on the market for several years. “.
A Ford spokesperson called GM’s claim “baseless and frivolous,” in a statement emailed to The edge, saying that cruise control is a well-known term. “All automakers offer it, and ‘cruise’ is a common shorthand for this ability. This is why BlueCruise was chosen as the name for the next evolution of the Blue Oval of Ford’s Intelligent Adaptive Cruise Control, ”the spokesperson added (the“ Blue Oval ”refers to the Ford logo).
Indeed, several other automakers use the word “cruise” to describe their hands-free driving functions, including Hyundai’s intelligent cruise control and BMW’s active cruise control.
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