General Motors Files For “Turbo-Jet” Trademark
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General Motors has filed a trademark application for the word “Turbo-Jet”, GM Authority has exclusively learned. The automaker filed the application with the United States Patent and Trademark Office on August 9, 2012 in the “exterior and interior badges for motor land vehicles” category of Goods and Services.
Carrying serial number 85699313, the trademark application has undergone issue/review and is marked a status 681 as of September 24. It has yet to be published for opposition, a time period that allows individuals and firms to oppose the awarding of the trademark to GM.
The GM Authority Take
Well this is rather interesting, isn’t it? We have no inside information of any future product containing the Turbo-Jet name at the time of publication, but here’s what we do know: General Motors is working on at least one turbocharged six-cylinder engine. As such, could it be that Turbo-Jet is the name The General plans on giving to its line of turbo’ed sixes? If so, Turbo-Jet would fly in the face of Ford’s EcoBoost (bad pun intended).
Supporting this point of view is the fact that the Turbo-Jet trademark application does not mention motor land vehicles as its primary category of Goods and Services, but rather “exterior and interior badges for motor land vehicles”. Can you imagine, say, a Chevy Impala with a Turbo-Jet badge on the trunk signifying it’s powered by a turbo-charged six-banger? We sure can.
If this does turn out to be the case, we’d be elated — since we think it’s an excellent idea for GM to introduce an engine brand that’s powerful, memorable, and significant… and this might just be it. Or not at all.
What do you think GM will use the Turbo-Jet name for? Sound off in the comments below.
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I like the name ‘TurboJet’ far more than EcoBoost (because I dislike the eco crowd).
If I remember correctly there was a V8 called Turbo-Jet, I think it was used in the 60′s on the Impala SS
In the 1960′s Chevrolet had a whole list of Turbo names which had no connection with Turbo chargers. The names remembered Turbo-Air, Turbo-Thrift, Turbo-Jet, Turbo-Fire, Super Turbo-Fire , Turbo-Glide, Turbo-Hydramatic and more that I can’t remember. Maybe GM wants to protect past names.
I’m no lawyer, but after speaking to two trademark and patent attorneys, my understanding is that one of the prerequisites to being granted a trademark is to use the mark in an actual product or service. The trademark applicant discloses sworn plans to use the mark in a document called the Statement of Use (SOU) — which is required to accompany every trademark filing, submitted after the trademark office has granted the applicant a Notice of Allowance to use the mark.
In short, it’s very difficult to protect an old name that’s no longer in use.
Next up the Fireball. The Aluminum engine used by Oldsmobile until they sold the rights to Rover.
Probably good that they went back to an Iron block. What would NBC do with the sidesaddle tank and an Fireball engine….
I am not a lawyer either. I applied to law school and they did a background check and disqualified me because my parents were married. Apparently only bastards can be lawyers.
I agree that the upcoming turbo V6 family is a very likely target. And correct me if I’m wrong, but I think the turbo-jet engines were used across divisions? It would be nice for at least Buick and Chevy to use this, and Cadillac too if it makes sense. I’m already looking forward to owning something with a turbo-jet in it!
They used TurboJet on all of the big blocks back in the 60s and 70s. TurboJet 427 and Turbojet 454. I don’t see this name being applied to a V6. It would be come down.