DETROIT (Reuters) – Ford Motor Co (F.N) sued luxury automaker Ferrari on Wednesday for trademark infringement after Ferrari named its 2011 Formula 1 racing car the "F150."
Ferrari's F150 logo bears striking resemblance to the one on Ford's F-150 pickup truck, the top-selling vehicle in the United States, Ford said in a complaint filed in federal court.
"Ferrari has misappropriated the F-150 trademark in naming its new racing vehicle the 'F150' in order to capitalize on and profit from the substantial goodwill that Ford has developed in the F-150 trademark," Ford said in a complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Detroit.
Ford is asking the court to bar Ferrari from using the name. The automaker is also seeking unspecified damages, including damages of $100,000 under the Anticybersquatting Consumer Protection Act.
Fiat SpA (FIA.MI) has an 85 percent stake in Ferrari, and management control of Chrysler Group LLC, in which it has a 25 percent stake.
Ford and Ferrari could not be immediately reached for comment. According to the complaint, the two automakers have a "legendary history as rivals in auto racing."
Ferrari set up a website -- www.ferrarif150.com -- to promote the racing vehicle.
"The choice of name stems from Ferrari's desire to pay tribute to this year's one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the unification of Italy," Ferrari said, according to a January 25 press release posted on www.ferrarif150.com.
(Reporting by Deepa Seetharaman; Editing by Phil Berlowitz)
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