Ford reportedly plans to oppose Geely Holding’s application to trademark the name of its new “Lynk & Co” brand in the United States, alleging that the designation sounds too similar to that of the Detroit automaker’s Lincoln division.
“The Lincoln brand has a rich 100-year history and we intend to protect its reputation,” a Lincoln spokesperson told Automotive News.
“Lynk & Co is infringing on the Lincoln trademark and we are taking legal actions to prevent them from using their infringing mark. Their name as it stands will confuse customers,” the spokesperson added.
According to Automotive News, the US Patent and Trademark Office has granted Ford – which of course sold the Volvo Cars brand to Geely Holding back in 2010 – until mid-November to formally oppose the Chinese group’s application.
In July, Volvo Cars announced that it would take a “significant minority shareholding” in Lynk & Co, explaining that the latter would thus be jointly owned by Geely Holding, Geely Auto and Volvo Cars.
In October last year, Lynk & Co revealed a boldly styled mid-size SUV that employs the underpinnings of Volvo’s upcoming 40-Series models.
