Nissan sues Audi over using 'Q' in Q7 name.(Nissan Motor Company Ltd., Audi of America Inc.)

Automotive News, October, 2005 by Halliday, Jean

Byline: Jean Halliday

This marketing battle is brought to you by the letter "Q.''

Nissan North America Inc. and its Japanese parent, Nissan Motor Co., are suing Audi AG, Audi of America Inc. and Volkswagen of America Inc.

Nissan alleges that Audi's first SUV, the Q7, infringes on the trademarks of the Q vehicles sold by Nissan's Infiniti brand.

The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Detroit, is scheduled for a nonjury trial next month.

Nissan says in its complaint it has spent "hundreds of millions of dollars'' to promote the Infiniti Q45. Infiniti launched its flagship sedan in 1989.

By the end of last year, Nissan says, it had sold 122,751 new Q45s in the United States since the car's introduction. Audi...

Read the rest of this article with a Free Trial at HighBeam Research.

Premium Content Partnership | HighBeam Research provides an in-depth online archive library of reference works.