Fresh from their victory in the Chinese courts over car manufacturer Jiangling Motor Corporation, Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) have found themselves back in court regarding the infringement of another one of their vehicles, this time to no avail.
The case at the UK Court of Appeal saw JLR launch an appeal following a ruling at the High Court over Yorkshire based Twisted Automotive’s trade mark for ‘LR Motors’.
Twisted Automotive sell customised second-hand Defenders, a model formerly produced by Land Rover until they stopped in 2016.
The Court of Appeal refused Jaguar Land Rover’s application for a second appeal, claiming that they were simply attempting to re-argue the same case which failed before the High Court.
In the original case, Jaguar Land Rover, which is often referred to as JLR, said the trademark would lead consumers to believe Twisted was in some way connected with Land Rover.
However, the Court of Appeal found that JLR’s claim that everyone knows the initials LR in ‘LR Motors’ refers to Land Rover was simply an opinion with no evidence to support it.
The court said that Jaguar Land Rover had not even attempted to establish a compelling reason to hear the appeal and that there was no principle of law in dispute.
Charles Fawcett, managing director of Twisted Automotive said the ruling was a victory for the company as the ‘little guy against an industry giant’.
He said: “I very much see it as a small victory for the whole automotive aftermarket industry as well as for Twisted Automotive. Sometimes it’s just about being right, being confident you are right and sticking to your guns. A big budget isn’t necessarily what it takes.
“The work of our team over the last two decades has helped boost the profile and demand for the Defender, even now more than three years after JLR stopped making it.”
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