GM Drops Cascada Trademark Filing
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Earlier this month, General Motors filed to trademark “Cascada,” but now, GM Authority has learned that the filing has been abandoned.
Originally filed on June 30th, 2022, with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), the application was assigned serial number 97484017. The application was classified in the Goods and Services category of “motor land passenger vehicles, namely automobiles.” It was abandoned just one week later on July 6th, 2022.
The original filing was a bit curious to begin with. The Cascada nameplate was previously applied to the Buick Cascada, a compact convertible that was produced from the 2016 through 2019 model years. However, all Buick models currently sold in North America have a nameplate beginning with the letter “E” as seen with the Encore, Encore GX, Envision and Enclave. Obviously, Cascada doesn’t fit this naming convention. However, it’s interesting to note that GM did not file to trademark “Buick Cascada,” so it’s possible that the automaker intended to apply it to a vehicle of a different make.
It’s also entirely possible that the trademark was filed by mistake, or that GM decided to move in a different direction with the vehicle the name may have been bound for. Whatever the case, it doesn’t seem like GM is interested in resurrecting the Cascada nameplate in the near future.
2019 Buick Cascada
At the end of 2021, GM filed to trademark “Buick Electra,” which certainly falls in line with the “E” naming convention. The trademark was filed in both the U.S. and Canada, and the nameplate is perfect for an electric vehicle. Buick is poised to launch its first EV in 2024, and will transition to an all-electric lineup by 2030. In fact, Buick has already applied the Electra nameplate to an electric crossover concept vehicle, the Buick Electra-X, which was unveiled in China in June 2022.
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The Buick Cascada was just a badge-engineered Opel Cascada (and Vauxhall Cascada). The car was produced exclusicely in what was the GM/Opel factory in Gliwice, Poland.
The name CASCADA is still registered, at the German agency for patents and trade marks, valid for all if EU, as owned by Opel Automobile GmH, which belonged from 1928/31 to 2017 to GM[“], but is now a subsidiary and brand owned by Stellantis.
So somebody must have informed GM’s patent office of this fact, after which withdrew this trade mark application.
I could provide the link to the pertainung entry, but this forum does not like direkt URLs The homepage: dpma dot de/english
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Actually, this Opel Automobile GmbH is the new name of a subsidiary of “Adam Opel GmbH”, which had the name “Opel Service GmbH” in 2017. “Adam Opel GmbH” is the continuation of the original Opel company founded in the 19th century. For the sale of Opel to PSA, GM transferred all GM assets in Europe (except the Diesel development center in Torino, Italy, and the GM Office in Switzerland) to this “Opel Service GmH”, which was renamed to the current “Opel Automobile GmbH” at the moment of it being sold to Peugeot SA.
The original “Adam Opel GmbH” continues to exist as subsiduary of GM, but only as the Opel pension fund paying the old age pensions to those former Opel workers who already were in retirement at the moment of the transfer of the Opel Automobile GmbH to PSA. I guess that this company will close shop and dissolve as soon as the last old Opel pensionist dies.
It could also be, that “Cascada” was still registered as a trade mark for automotive applicatiins in the US register, but owned by “Opel Automobile GmbH” or some other orgsnization.
Could somebody look that up?
The Opel trademark is still live in the USA under Opel, which is now part of Stellantis.
You may be correct. Stellantis may have told GM that they intend to keep using the marque. But this should have been sorted out with the GM-Opel breakup sale.
Not putting a legal cap on, but I suspect if it went to court that Buick would have rights to the name in the USA, and Opel in the EU.
And that, may wind up keeping both from using the name… where it will just fade away.
Thanks for the reply, Christopher! So, you have looked up that trade mark in the US register?
The German Patent and Trademark Registry has two entries for “Cascada”, one valid for the EU (European Union), the other international, i.e. valid also in USA. The International Registrynumber is: IR1152530A. It was originally registered on September 26, 2012 by Opel Special Vehicles.
This trademark was transferred in July 2017 (request placed on July 7, i.e. after the transfer date from GM to PSA) from Adam Opel GmbH (which is still a subsidiary of General Motors LLC) to Opel Automobile GmbH, the then PSA subsidiary (it must have been lots of work to transfer hundreds or more of such trademarks from GM’s “Adam Opel GmbH” to PSA’s “Opel Automobile GmbH”)
The Cascada was still in production back then. Production ended only in 2019, together with the Opel Zafira, Opel Adam, and Opel Karl (the latter produced in Korea as badge engineered from Chevrolet Spark).
The person which initiated to register “Cascada” as a trademark by GM was probably not aware of those facts.
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PS: German “GmbH” means “Gesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung”, or shorter in english: “Limited Liability Company”.
Yes, I checked the USPTO register.
Cascada to begin with was a fluke of GM’s bankruptcy. The car began life as the third-gen Saab 9-3 Convertible. It was basically finished, but Saab-Spyker was not allowed to get access to E2/D2 platforms, fearing Spyker would go bankrupt and be taken over by the Chinese.
Hence, Opel Cascada.
That’s why it got expensive bits like HiPer Strut. It was supposed to get the LTG engine as an option, which is why performance was so anemic.
This is also why it had Saab’s projectile rollbars, and a Saab-rounded facia.
Cascada would have made a lot of sense as an Electra tier, but that’s about it. I think the name will just fade away.
I always thought of the Opel Cascada as a convertible version of the Opel Astra, and now you tell me that it is basically a Saab?
Even in Europe GM is a retirement fund that happens to make cars (or not).
I suspect there is a convertible Electra on the roadmap, and talk of making it into an Electra Cascada was being considered.
Electra EV has a tapered rear line, similar to the Murano and the Range Rover Evoque, where each got a convertible variant.
Also BEV3 is likely to have a drop-top for the Camaro Convertible, which will be based off Celestiq changes.
The name just wasn’t successful enough, and calling it Electra Convertible is going to suffice.
Asking for a friend. Has anyone ever heard of the battery on the Cascade leaking on to the transmission?
I need to get a replacement starter for my 2016 Cascada. I have been told that they will be going into production in March but who knows when I can get a started. Anyone else have a suggestion.