Lemme get this straight. There is a Dodge DAYTONA, a Dodge CHALLENGER, a Jeep COMMANDER, a Toyota LAND CRUISER, Volvo used ?Different by Design? and most automatic transmissions now have a direct drive clutch. Did I miss anything? I guess it?s true that ?Copying is the most sincere form of flattery.?
John
Not to mention the Ford Starliner and the Yamaha R1...
How's the Buick Lacrosse selling in Durham this week? What's in a name: no wonder they all use one number or three letters anymore. Words have so much hidden political undertone that named products are becoming a thing of the past. Couple of the majors are in court because even those random letters are too close.
Vitara, Viagra: it's so easy to get confused.
Seems to me around 1989 or so when the Toyota announced their luxury car was to be called 'Lexus', Lexis/Nexis tried to sue as it sounded too close to 'Lexis', They were unsuccessful as a Lexus and a Lexis are totally unrelated products/services. Around that time also, GM got sued over the use of the 'Beretta' name by the Italian firearms manufacturer, and as far as I know, they were not successful. However, Krupp Steel and Kriegler in Germany did have success in barring Ford's use of the 'Mustang' name when it came to selling them in the German market. Ford elected to label them by its development code, 'T-5' instead. As far as I know about old Studebaker names being recycled by the major auto companies, they are 'open property' unless they've since been copyrighted by someone else.
Craig
One of the first I remember is Transtar by International. they had a whole line of trucks.
--Dave Balek
1963 Avanti R1 3sp. R1493
As I recall many years ago, there was a long list of Studebaker model names taken up by other automobile compaines in Turning Wheels as compiled by Fred K. Fox in his 'Literature in Review' column. I think what started the interest was when Jeep started to use the name 'Golden Hawk' for a trim package on version of the Cherokee, and GM took up the 'Sky Hawk' name on a Buick model around the same time. Since then, DCX has picked up on the Commander name for its new Jeep, and I'm sure a few more Studebaker model names got taken.
Craig
If I remember right, I think Subaru used the "hill holder" term for the same type of device on thier cars in the 80s or 90s.
FWIW: A member in England had his mechanic install a Subaru hill-holder in his Avanti. As he is not a technical type, he was unable to give details.
Karl
There were others.
Pan Am sued Packard over the " Clipper " nameplate. The courts rulled that noone would confuse the two.
Ford couldn't use the Focus nameplate in Europe as there was a magazine of the same name.
The local Lexis Diner had to change their name as Lexus said it was too close.
It seem ot me that the courts to day don't have the comon sense that they had in the past.
Geno
The Subaru hill holders are legit. Their "mole" even confessed in TW. Copyrights have expired on some desirable Studebaker features (sliding roof, flow-through ventilation, post-mount brake lights, what else?) so they are fair game. At least the Subaru guy gave credit where due. With the names, I guess I'd feel cheapened or threatened by fate to drive a re-hashed model, though comparing Mustangs then & now, for instance, or 1955 vs. 2006 US dollars may be even more discouraging, on a bad day...
Not to go political like everybody else, but I fully expect the Dictator to be back. In some "emerging labor markets," it conjures Good Old Days.
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