Ford And GM Settle Legal Spat Over BlueCruise

Back in August, Ford filed a lawsuit against GM over trademarks granted to General Motors for the word Cruise. The fuss began when Ford announced that it would call its driver-assistance software BlueCruise. GM already had a driver assistance system on the market called SuperCruise and felt that it had legal rights to the exclusive use of the term Cruise.

At the time, Ford pointed out that the word Cruise had been used with driver assistance systems, including cruise control, for decades. GM and Ford have now agreed to settle the legal battle over the BlueCruise name. The two automakers filed the notice in court on Friday, telling the court they were in the process of settling all claims and counterclaims in the issue.

The judge has agreed to dismiss the suit on the condition that the automakers finalize the settlement within 60 days. At this time, no details on the proposed settlement have been revealed. However, a Ford spokesperson has said that the Blue Oval will continue to use the BlueCruise name.

GM's only statement said that it and Ford had resolved the case and relating proceedings. It said it had no further comment. The announcement of the settlement comes after GM said in July that while it Ford had discussions over the matter, it had been resolved. An out-of-court settlement is no surprise.

Many felt that Ford was correct in stating that GM shouldn't have been granted trademark the word Cruise all. Had GM lost the case and had its trademarks tossed out, it could have hurt its marketing campaigns that have been in place for years. Presumably, the settlement simply allows for GM and Ford to each use their Cruise names and continue operations as usual.