The recent dispute between Ford and Ferrari over the use of the F150 name has been peacefully settled when Ferrari re-named its 2011 racing car as Ferrari 150° ItaliaWhen Ferrari launched its latest F1 racing car under the F150 designation in order to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Italy's unification had no intention to steal Ford's F-150 trademark that deals with its best-selling pick-up truck. however, Ford filed a lawsuit against the F1 team claiming that it had suffered irreparable harm for its product.
Ferrari quickly reacted by referring to its car as the F150th Italia, but after an official settlement that was reached between the two parties in the US District Court in Detroit, Ford has withdrawn its legal action, and Ferrari renamed completely its car with the indisputable Italianised version of "Ferrari 150° Italia".
A Ford spokeswoman commented at The Detroit News.
"We are pleased we were able resolve this issue amicably. This resolution ensures that Ford's famous and distinctive F-150 trademark will be protected."
Ferrari's announcement was rather much more ironic stating:
“It appears that this could have caused so much confusion in the minds of the consumer across the Pond that, at the same time as losing the F, the name will be completely Italianised, replacing the English “th” with the equivalent Italian symbol... Therefore the name will now read as the Ferrari 150° Italia, which should make it clear even to the thickest of people that the name of the car is a tribute to the anniversary of the unification of our country. Let’s hope the matter is now definitely closed and that we can concentrate on more serious matters, namely ensuring that our car that already seems to be pretty good out of the box, becomes a real winner.”
