The trademark ruckus continues to loom.
Two of the biggest American automakers continue to be at each other's necks recently, and it's all because of one word: cruise.
In a report by the Detroit Free Press, Ford Motor Co. is asking the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) to rescind General Motors' trademark rights on "Cruise" and "Super Cruise." Ford spokesperson Mike Levine has reflected the news on his Twitter post, which we embedded below.
According to Levine, Ford didn't have a choice but to ask USPTO to repeal the trademark rights given to both words since they should have never been registered in the first place. He also cited other brands that have been using "cruise" in their driver-assist tech that GM seems to have no problem with. These brands include Mack Truck (Predictive Cruise), ZF (Autocruise), RoboCars (Robocruise), Hyundai (Smart Cruise Control), and BMW (Active Cruise Control).
To recall, GM has sued Ford over the use of BlueCruise for its hands-free driver-assist technology. Levine has responded before with a similar statement, but the request submitted to USPTO is the latest development over the trademark ruckus.
Gallery: Ford BlueCruise: First Drive
GM has responded to the move, as reported by the Detroit Free Press.
"As the industry’s first true hands-free driver assistance system on the market, GM’s Super Cruise was first announced in 2012 and has had a well established commercial presence since 2017 with approximately 10M miles driven using the technology to date," said GM spokesperson Darryll Harrison in a statement.
BlueCruise is arriving later this year on the country's best-selling nameplate, the Ford F-150. The Blue Oval expects 15 percent of F-150s to carry BlueCruise software. It will also be available in the Mustang Mach-E, wherein it's standard in all but the base trim (available as a $3,200 option pack).
Hands-Free Driving From The Blue Oval:
Source: Detroit Free Press
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