French car maker ends dispute with Swedish EV brand
Case centred on a chevron design | Polestar unveiled disputed logo after ceasing to be a sub brand of Volvo in 2017.
Citroën and Polestar have resolved a trademark dispute over logos that barred the Swedish electric car brand from selling its products in France.
The two companies came to an agreement in recent months, allowing Gothenburg-based Polestar to enter the French market, according to a report by Le Monde on August 31.
The row arose in 2017, when Polestar unveiled a new logo after it ceased to be a sub brand of Volvo, and became a publicly listed company.
This design featured two chevrons pointing at each other in the shape of a four-pointed star.
According to the French car maker, the new design bore a striking resemblance to its own ‘double chevron’ design that was introduced more than a century ago.
Citroën sued Polestar, accusing the brand of counterfeiting and brand image infringement.
In 2020, a French court dismissed the design infringement case, citing the weak similarity between the logos.
However, it found in favour of Citroën’s trademark infringement argument and ordered Polestar to pay 150,000 euros and stop selling vehicles in France for six months.
However, the ruling remained in place after the culmination of this period, prompting Citroën to petition to extend the ruling across the EU.
Polestar aims to sell 290,000 vehicles globally by 2025, a 10-fold increase over 2021 sales, according to a report by “Automotive News Europe”.
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