Posted on 03/04/2022 1:02:19 PM PST by Red Badger
Ford Motor Company's reorganization into Ford Model e (EV operations) and Ford Blue (ICE operations) finally provides an explanation as to why the Blue Oval opposed Tesla's attempt to register the Model E trademark in 2014.
At the time, Ford stepped in to block Tesla's trademark application, justifying its action with a 2010 agreement between the companies that prevented Tesla from using the letter E for a car name.
While it didn't have a car in the past named Model E, Ford argued that Model E sounded too similar to the original mass-market hit automobile, the Ford Model T.
Ford's opposition dashed Tesla CEO Elon Musk's hopes for a provocatively named lineup of cars that would include the Model S, E, and X. Musk first told CNNMoney about the plans in 2014.
"A friend asked me at a party, 'What are you going to name the third-generation car?' Well, we have the S and the X, so we might as well make it the E."
According to Automotive News, Ford found out about the plans and called Musk, threatening to sue Tesla for using its Model E trademark. Musk gave Ford a humorous reply after the Blue Oval challenged Tesla's application for a Model E.
"We're like, 'Ford's killing SEX. So, OK, fine we won't use Model E."
Musk didn't give up on the idea and found a workaround, naming Tesla's entry-level car the Model 3—with the figure 3 being easy to read as a backward uppercase letter E. The EV maker subsequently added a compact crossover, the Model Y, eventually leading to a lineup that can be now spelled S3XY.
Did Ford know in 2014 that it was going to name its EV division Ford Model e? That's impossible to say, but the automaker must have at least explored the idea of launching a Model E vehicle in the future given that it had registered the Model E trademark in October 2003.
In February 2001, Ford applied to register the Model E trademark for vehicles, namely electric-powered cars, carts, scooters, SUVs, trucks, buses and vans, as well as electric-powered boats and recreational jet boats.
Well model 3 is still the best selling EV model in the planet.
Ford cars are crap. Not going to help.
Up next, Microsoft will sue for everybody who uses the word “Word”, “Excel”, or “Office” like nobody else ever used those words before Micro$oft did.
>> In February 2001, Ford applied to register the Model E trademark for vehicles, namely electric-powered cars, carts, scooters, SUVs, trucks, buses and vans, as well as electric-powered boats and recreational jet boats. <<
So what’s the controversy?
Disposable cars will be great.
You don’t understand the way this works—clearly.
You can’t make a software document editor and call it word. But you can make a Car and call it Word if you like.
Obviously, Microsoft gave some of their products common-noun type names like "Word", "Excel", and "Office" in the hopes to generate free PR by people thinking of Microsoft products any time we used those words in our common discourse. But can you imagine how ridiculous it'd be if Microsoft said nobody else can lay claim to those words? That's what the argument between Ford and Tesla about "Model e" sounds to me.
There is no controversy, except for the fact Ford won their case claiming E could be confused with T, a car model name that they had not used in almost a hundred years
Later, Elon showed the models on stage, fittingly arranged. “That’s a pretty sexy lineup. ...that’s the world’s most expensive joke.”
Once again no one else can use those words for software productivity suite. Just like no one else can use Model E for a car. Just like Ford can trademark Mustang. And like Tesla probably has trademarked Model S—but not sure on that.
They look “boring.”
Well The Ohio State University did try to trademark the word ‘the’.
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