Stuffing the motor from a Nissan GT-R supercar into an Infiniti Q50 luxury sedan was the easy part. Now Nissan faces a legal slog to get use of the Eau Rouge name for Infinit’s performance sub-brand.
Infiniti has been using Eau Rouge since the Q50-based concept sedan debuted at the Detroit Auto Show in January. No, it’s not a perfume that smells like Nissan’s smallest crossover– that would be the Eau Rogue. Rather, its namesake is the legendary fast downhill section at Spa-Francorchamps, named for the “red water” river that runs by the course, where the Nissan Skyline GT-R won a 1991 enduro 21 laps ahead of a field of Porsche 911s and BMW M3s.
However, despite already prolific use of Eau Rouge, Nissan doesn’t actually have it trademarked yet. Company lawyers filed for one in January, but it’s still being considered by the US Patent and Trademark Office.
In Europe, Nissan faces an even bigger battle with the EU patent office. On April 24, representatives of Spa-Francorchamps Circuit registered “L’Eau Rouge.” If Nissan plans to sell any cars badged with the name in Europe, it will have to negotiate an agreement with the circuit owners, according to Bloomberg.
The racetrack has been a stop on the Formula One tour since 2007. The current fastest lap holder is Sebastien Vettel of the Infiniti Red Bull F1 team.
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