Porsche claims to own the "GT3" name
03-24-2015, 01:23 PM
#1
Nordschleife Master
Thread Starter
Porsche claims to own the "GT3" name
http://www.carbuzz.com/news/2015/3/2...3-Name-7726087
Revealed earlier this month at Geneva, the Aston Martin Vantage GT3 is no longer. Well, it’ll still very much enter production as both a road-going and race car, only with a different name. The reason being is that Porsche doesn’t want to share the "GT3" name with anyone else. In fact, Porsche claims the GT3 name has been theirs since 1999. Lawyers for both companies have been negotiating for the past several months over this issue and now, according to Goodwood Road and Racing, Aston Martin has conceded defeat.
The Vantage GT3 will now be known as the GT12. Same name also goes for the race car. So why did Porsche have such a problem here, and can it simply claim the rights to a moniker that’s also the name of a racing series?
Just think for a moment how much time and money Porsche spent in developing its 911 GT3 brand for well over a decade. It was quite the investment and Aston Martin apparently wisely chose not to face off against Porsche (and, for that matter, the VW Group) and its very deep pockets. The legal battle just wasn’t worth it, and so today we present to you the Aston Martin Vantage GT12. It’s a name we can fully live with.
The Vantage GT3 will now be known as the GT12. Same name also goes for the race car. So why did Porsche have such a problem here, and can it simply claim the rights to a moniker that’s also the name of a racing series?
Just think for a moment how much time and money Porsche spent in developing its 911 GT3 brand for well over a decade. It was quite the investment and Aston Martin apparently wisely chose not to face off against Porsche (and, for that matter, the VW Group) and its very deep pockets. The legal battle just wasn’t worth it, and so today we present to you the Aston Martin Vantage GT12. It’s a name we can fully live with.
Last edited by neanicu; 08-31-2016 at 09:01 AM.
03-24-2015, 01:38 PM
#2
Race Director
Legalities aside, and from a purely selfish standpoint, I'm glad Porsche stood up for this. If you own a GT3, you own a Porsche, not an Aston Martin. What's next, a Hyundai GT3?
03-24-2015, 01:43 PM
#4
RL Community Team
Rennlist Member
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I guess since VW owns Bentley, this is not a big deal to Porsche?
http://gt3r.bentleymotors.com/en/the...tal-gt3-r.html
http://gt3r.bentleymotors.com/en/the...tal-gt3-r.html
03-24-2015, 01:49 PM
#6
Race Director
03-24-2015, 02:02 PM
#7
RL Community Team
Rennlist Member
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03-24-2015, 02:03 PM
#8
Race Director
Just kiddin' 
03-24-2015, 02:28 PM
#11
Mercedes even came out in an interview about the new AMG GT in relation to a track focused, street legal version saying that it will be coming, but they won't call it a GT3 as that is owned by someone else.
03-24-2015, 03:01 PM
#14
RL Community Team
Rennlist Member
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And as far as FIA using the "Group GT3" moniker for racing, there's an argument to be made for trademark dilution, although one could argue that it's not used in the same line of commerce (racing series [FIA] versus production automobiles [Porsche]) although that in many ways is a distinction so granular as to lose much of its difference.
