BMW wins the ‘M’ letter war against Infiniti

BMW won the battle of the letter ‘M’ in Canada against Infiniti, which was using the letter on its high-end luxury sedans, the M35 and M45. BMW has been using the letter ‘M’ ever since 1978 in Germany on its high-performance vehicles developed by its M Division. It acquired the rights to use the ‘M’ badge in 1987 in Canada, when the M6 made its debut.

Infiniti, on the other hand, registered for use of the letter ‘M’ in 2004 and has even used the letter alone in advertising for its M35 and M45 vehicles. BMW argued that Infiniti’s use of the letter ‘M’ causes confusion to its consumers, auto journalists and car enthusiasts (for us when we think of the letter ‘M’ we just imagine that blue and white helicopter-like logo).

The judge found Nissan “liable, in damages to be determined . . . for the use of the letter M and the descriptor M6, as trademarks for automobiles, parts and accessories, which caused a likelihood of confusion between the sources of its wares and of BMW’s,” said the judge overseeing the case.

Let’s see this happen in the United States next.

Source: CBCNews (via AutoBlog)