Trademark infringement matters although a real thing in the auto industry but is not as unhindered in the industry compared to other industries. The dispute between the French carmaker Citroën and the Swedish carmaker Polestar has raised many eyebrows that were ruled out in 2020. The dispute is now over, according to Le Monde a spokesperson said that the complaints have been withdrawn leaving the case closed.
This dispute dates back to 2017 when it became the standalone automaker with ties with Volvo. Thus, the logo’s new logo with its two chevrons pointing toward each other making a star. Both Citroën and AS Automobiles a part of the Stellantis group sued Polestar for the brand’s image infringements. Due to Polestar’s new logo, the dispute cited talks from all over the internet who caught the similarities.
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A French court dismissed the design infringement case in 2020, saying that there’s a frail similarity between the two logos and their layouts are different. Citroën won the case against their trademark infringement as their similar shape was the brand’s identity. But on the other hand, Polestar could benefit from this controversy. The court ordered Polestar to pay 150,000 Euros to Citroën for the damages they caused by the trademark infringements. Polestar was also restricted to use its logo in France for over six months leaving customers who couldn’t even access the company’s site. Citroën pleaded to extend the ruling to all over Europe as it got lifted after some time. Polestar can start selling its cars France as the dispute is now settled.