Audi has just won a trademark rights case defending use of its logo against a Polish aftermarket company in the European Court of Justice.
“A car manufacturer can prohibit the use of a sign identical or similar to the trademark it owns for spare parts,” stated the ECJ in a court press release today.
Audi AG had brought the case against Polish parts company “GQ” for selling non-original grille assemblies for older Audi models. The grilles themselves were designed to fit the signature Audi four ring emblems. For Audi, the intent was to prohibit the sale of non-original components bearing the logo or similar designs.
Apparently the question was whether a grille designed to fit the OEM logo was problematic, and GQ challenged the case, asking if use of the emblem in the sale of the parts violated the trademark. Further, the supplier questioned whether Audi had the right to limit the logo’s use under such conditions.
The court ruled that Audi did have the power to enforce its trademark rights, in a finding that determined a component designed to hold the car logo in the aftermarket grille also had a marketing purpose.
The case will now move to Poland for a final ruling.
Editor’s note: The photo in question depicts fully original parts during the production of the Audi Q8 e-tron and does not depict any of the parts in question. It is part of this story for illustrative purposes.
