Super Cruise Trademark Lawsuit Against GM Dismissed
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This week, General Motors successfully staved off a lawsuit brought against it by computer-component manufacturer Micro Mobio Corp. The lawsuit argued that the automaker’s Super Cruise trademark should be canceled on the grounds that it was nearly identical to the computer parts company’s SuperCruise connectivity technology.
Per a recent report from Reuters, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit decided that the products were different enough that consumers were unlikely to be confused.
Micro Mobio Corp is based out of Palo Alto, California, and provides semiconductors for various wireless devices. The components incorporate the company’s SuperCruise connectivity technology.
Meanwhile, General Motors has trademarked the Super Cruise name for its semi-autonomous driver assist system, first available on the 2018 Cadillac CT6, and currently offered for the Cadillac CT4, Cadillac CT5, Cadillac Escalade, and Chevy Bolt EUV.
According to the Reuters report, U.S. Circuit Judge William Bryson, along with Chief Circuit Judge Kimberly Moor and Circuit Judge Sharon Prost, found “no merit to any of Micro Mobio’s factual or legal challenges” raised following a ruling from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) Trademark Trial and Appeal Board. Last year, the board ruled in favor of GM, finding that confusion was unlikely given the difference in the goods between the two companies, and that the customer bases do not overlap.
Micro Mobio challenged the ruling, arguing that the goods were in fact similar as the GM Super Cruise system incorporates products similar to those offered by Micro Mobio to function, and that the board underestimated to strength of the company’s mark. However, the appeals court agreed that the company’s goods were in fact not related. U.S. Circuit Judge Bryson stated that the question of whether or not the goods could be misconstrued as coming from the same source was not an issue in this case.
Earlier this year, General Motors filed a lawsuit against Ford over the use of the BlueCruise name for the latter’s semi-autonomous driving system. That lawsuit has since been settled.
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The Super Cruise is not currently an option on Cadillac because you guessed it. Not enough chips. I ordered a loaded CT5 in April 21. They told me maybe by June 22. You would think that as hard as they protect the name that they would prioritize this feature. I said thanks to my dealer and canceled my order. Fire Mary Barra!