因涉嫌侵犯版权，奥迪对蔚来提起诉讼

塞巴斯蒂安·贝尔|发表于 2022 年 6 月 16 日

据德国媒体报道，奥迪已在慕尼黑法院对中国电动汽车制造商蔚来提起诉讼。诉讼称，蔚来车型名称侵犯了这家德国汽车制造商的商标。

蔚来开始在欧洲推广，并将于 2022 年第四季度进入德国。它为奥迪本土市场带来的第一款车型将是名为 ET7 的轿车，它被视为是奥迪 A6 的竞争对手。

它的 ES6 和 ES8 车型却视为是有争议的车型。德国日报Handelsblatt报道称，奥迪认为 ES6 和 ES8可能与其运动型轿车 S6和 S8相混淆。我们已联系奥迪，但尚未收到回复。

另请阅读：奥迪合资企业广告在中国引发关于涉嫌侵犯版权的争议

“奥迪和许多成功的公司一样，也一直关注全面保护其商标权，”一位发言人告诉德国商报。该公司对蔚来为欧洲市场选择车型名称的感到不满，“我们认为这侵犯了奥迪的商标权。”

杜伊斯堡汽车研究中心教授 Ferdinand Dudenhöffer 告诉德国媒体，“将SUV 和轿车混淆的可能非常小。” 其他人则称该诉讼会适得其反，并警告说，奥迪在中国可能会受到抵制，而中国是奥迪的大市场。

Audi Launches Lawsuit Against Nio For Alleged Copyright Infringement

BY SEBASTIEN BELL | POSTED ONJUNE 16, 2022

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Audi has filed a lawsuit against the Chinese EV manufacturer Nio in a Munich court, according to German media. The suit alleges that the latter company is infringing on the German automaker’s trademarks with its model designations.

Nio is in the midst of a European expansion that began in Norway and will reach Germany by the fourth quarter of 2022. The first model it brings to Audi’s home market will be a sedan called the ET7, which is an Audi A6 competitor.

Its ES6 and ES8 models, though, are the models at issue despite being SUVs. German daily Handelsblatt reports that Audi is arguing that the models may be confused with its sporty sedans, the S6 and the S8. We have reached out to Audi for comment but have not yet received a response.

Read Also: Audi Joint Venture Ad Sparks Controversy In China Over Alleged Copyright Breach

“Audi, like many successful companies, is also always concerned with comprehensively protecting its trademark rights,” a spokesperson told Handelsblatt. The company takes umbrage at Nio’s decision to choose model designations for the European market “which we believe infringe on Audi trademarks.”

Not everyone thinks this will be a successful tactic, though. Ferdinand Dudenhöffer, a professor at the Center for Automotive Research in Duisberg told the German outlet that “the risk of confusion between an SUV and a sedan is pretty low.” Others call the suit counterproductive and warn that it might be received badly in China, a market where Audi makes a large number of sales.

Nio, meanwhile, will likely want to put this case behind it since it’s in the middle of an expensive expansion effort. The brand’s vehicles do not operate like other EVs. Its vehicles’ empty batteries get swapped for full ones at designated areas, rather than being recharged slowly at charging stations. That means, though, that in order to sell its vehicles, the company must also set up swapping stations and cannot rely on the charging infrastructure that has already cropped up in Europe.

TAGSAUDI, AUDI S6, AUDI S8, CHINA, ELECTRIC VEHICLES, GERMANY, NIO, REPORTS