A trademark dispute between rival car manufacturers Ford and Ferrari is close to being resolved, it has been claimed.
According to Wheels Unplugged, the dispute, which was brought by Ford Motor Company and relates to Ferrari’s use of the F150 mark, will likely result in a slight alteration to the firm’s racing car name.
Ferrari currently uses the name F150 for its Formula 1 race car; however, Ford believes this infringes on its F-150 trademark.
It is believed that for the 2011 season, Ferrari will adopt the name F 150th, which simultaneously removes the infringement issue while also referring to the 150th anniversary of the unification of Italy.
The car will be known as the Ferrari F 150th Italia.
A spokesperson for the company said, “Ferrari believes that its own contender in the forthcoming F1 championship cannot be confused with any other types of commercially available vehicle of any sort whatsoever, nor can it give the impression that there is a link to another brand of road-going vehicle.”
Ford had a trademark dispute with the Black Mustang Club in 2008 when the organization tried to print a calendar featuring the company’s vehicles, reports BoingBoing.net.