General Motors has filed a lawsuit against Ford to stop the latter from using the name “BlueCruise” for the hands-free driving feature it announced earlier this year.
GM claims the name is too close to Super Cruise, the name of is own hands-free driving technology introduced in 2017, and to its autonomous vehicle subsidiary Cruise. General Motors is suing Ford for trademark infringement and unspecified damages.
In the lawsuit recently filed, General Motors said in that the companies had been involved in “protracted discussions” over the name but were unable to resolve the matter. “Ford knew exactly what it was doing,” GM alleges in its complaint, adding that if Ford “wanted to adopt a new, unique brand, it easily could have done so without using the word ‘Cruise.’”
Ford announced BlueCruise as the name for its hands-free driver assist system in April, and said it would begin pushing the feature via an over-the-air software updates to select vehicles later this year.
A Ford spokesperson called GM’s Cruise claim “meritless and frivolous,” in a statement saying that cruise control is a well-known term.
“Every automaker offers it, and ‘cruise’ is common shorthand for the capability. That’s why BlueCruise was chosen as the name for the Blue Oval’s next evolution of Ford’s Intelligent Adaptive Cruise Control,” the spokesperson added (the “Blue Oval” refers to Ford’s logo).
Indeed, there are several other automakers who use the word “cruise” to describe their hands-free driving features, including Hyundai’s Smart Cruise Control, and BMW’s Active Cruise Control.
