Trademark infringement litigation is myriad, although not as prevalent in the automotive industry as it is in other businesses. One of the few to come to light is the logo dispute between French automaker Citroën and Swedish automaker Polestar, which resulted in a decision in 2020.
According The world, this dispute is now over. A Citroen spokesperson confirmed this to the French newspaper, saying the complaints had been withdrawn and the matter closed. Details of the resolution were not disclosed.
The dispute between Citroën and Polestar dates back to 2017 when the latter became a standalone automaker with close ties to Volvo. With this came a new Polestar logo which featured two chevrons pointing towards each other, forming a four-pointed star.
Citroën – then DS Automobiles, the two brands of Stellantis – accused Polestar of infringement and damage to the brand image because of this redesign of the logo, citing comments from Internet users who noticed similarities.
In 2020, a French court dismissed the design infringement case, saying there is low similarity between the logos and their layouts differ from each other.
However, Citroën won the lawsuit against trademark infringement. The court said Polestar’s similarly shaped chevrons recalled Citroën’s identity as “the chevron mark”. Polestar could then indirectly benefit from the reputation of Citroën’s rafters.
That said, the court ordered Polestar to pay Citroën 150,000 euros in damages for infringing the distinctive character of the brand. The Swedish automaker was also banned from using its logo in France for six months, so much so that the French could not access the Polestar site. The decision was never lifted after the period; Citroën even asked to extend the decision across Europe earlier this year.
With this dispute now settled, it looks like Polestar may start selling its cars in France in the future. An official announcement could be on the way, so we’ll keep an ear out.
