Ford Motor Company has complained to the US Patent and Trademark Office about Chinese automaker Geely Holdings' application to register the Lynk & Co brand in the USA, according to reports in China citing US sources.
The US carmaker is unhappy that Geely's new premium car brand, which is scheduled to be launched in China later this year and the USA in 2018, sounds too much like its own Lincoln premium brand and may "confuse" customers.
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Geely is targeting global sales of Lynk & Co-branded vehicles to exceed 500,000 units per year by 2020, including around 100,000 sales in the USA.
Ford has until November 15th to formally file its opposition to the Lynk & Co trademark, which it sees as infringing on its 100-year old brand.
A Geely Holdings spokesperson told reporters in China that his company is confident of being able to successfully register the trademark in the USA through the normal legal process or as a result of "consultations" with Ford.
