The British sports car manufacturer has once again become embroiled in a legal dispute over its logo with China's Geely, which also owns a 17% stake in the brand.
British luxury carmaker Aston Martin has launched a new legal case against Chinese holding company Zhejiang Geely. The dispute centers on a new logo that Geely designed for its subsidiary London EV Company, the maker of London's iconic taxis. The new logo depicts a horse's head surrounded by wings, and Aston Martin claims the design is too similar to its nearly century-old trademark and could cause confusion among customers.
The legal battle actually began in 2022 when Geely attempted to register the logo in the UK. The UK Intellectual Property Office (IPO) rejected Aston Martin's appeal in 2023, arguing that customers were unlikely to swap an electric black taxi for a luxury sports car. They also pointed out that other brands such as Bentley and Mini had used the winged logo for many years. Aston Martin lost the case at the time and had to pay the Chinese company around €2.600 in legal costs.
What is strange about the whole situation is that the Chinese conglomerate Geely bought a 17% stake in Aston Martin a year later for around €275 million, making it one of its largest shareholders. Despite this close business relationship, Aston Martin has now filed an appeal with the British Court of Appeal to once again try to block the use of the new logos, saying that protecting intellectual property is their priority. Geely is playing down the issue, claiming that it is a purely routine dispute and that it remains committed to maintaining a professional relationship with the British brand.
