At first glance, there are few similarities between Renault, the French car manufacturer, and Reno, the mid-range brand from Oppo. Except for a certain homophony, which has not escaped Renault's notice. The website L'Informé informs us that Renault has asked the French National Institute of Industrial Property (INPI) to intercede on its behalf, by challenging Oppo's trademark applications for "Reno" dating back to early 2019.
Reno sounds bad to Renault
There are several issues in this case. The first concerns the virtual assistant developed by Renault for its R5 and R4 electric vehicles, which is called... Reno. The car manufacturer filed this trademark with the INPI in June 2022, three years after Oppo.
The second issue is even more existential for Renault. Like Huawei and Xiaomi, Oppo could cross the automotive Rubicon by launching cars of its own. The Chinese group is said to be keen to attack the Indian market. And who knows, perhaps under the Reno brand, which would actually be damaging for Renault if Oppo cars made it to Europe.
In its decision, the INPI split the difference. The risk of confusion over the Renault/Reno homophony on the automotive market has not been established, according to the institute, "the link (...) appears too distant." And for good reason, there are no Reno cars yet. However, the INPI can only note the phonetic similarity between Renault and Reno.
There is therefore a very real risk that Renault's image will be "transferred" to Oppo's products, "so that their marketing would be facilitated." The INPI has therefore decided to withdraw Oppo's use of the Reno trademark, not in the automotive sector but for smartphones, computers, tablets, smart glasses, televisions, headphones, and even GPS.
In other words, Oppo is no longer supposed to market its smartphones under the Reno brand in France. But the company has appealed the decision, which has postponed its execution. So, for the moment, no changes are in sight for Reno in France.
Oppo has confirmed to us that the "Reno" trademark has been registered "globally and has been used since 2019 in good faith in the OPPO smartphone ranges around the world." The dispute with Renault could, however, be settled amicably: "both parties are working to find a solution to resolve this dispute. OPPO will continue to use the Reno trademark as it always has."
For its part, Renault has acknowledged the INPI's decision, which could nevertheless appeal to extend its scope to other areas - particularly the automotive sector, of course. The group has filed appeals in other countries.
Source: L'Informé
0 Comments