Lotus name dispute heading to court – Asmat

Team Lotus on Thursday seemed resigned to the naming dispute with new F1 competitor Group Lotus proceeding to court.

Earlier, it was thought possible Tony Fernandes’ Malaysian team would simply adopt an all-new name for 2011 due to Group Lotus withdrawing its official license and deciding to enter F1 in partnership with Renault.

Fernandes said recently that he did not want to “destroy” the Lotus brand and heritage by dragging the saga through the legal system.

But the team’s chief executive Riad Asmat on Thursday indicated the case will indeed proceed to London’s High Court.

“I think that will be fair to everyone and the courts will explain everything to everyone,” he told Bernama news agency.

Asmat indicated he doubts Group Lotus completely controls the ‘Lotus’ brand.

“Did anyone have any specific guidelines?  I am not aware of that,” he said.

“Oh, they (Proton) said they own the (Lotus) name, well we own the name Team Lotus (and) that is why we are racing as Team Lotus.”

Asked if there is a difference between ‘Lotus’ and ‘Team Lotus’, he answered: “Yes, there is a big difference in terms of ownership.”
 © RIF | GMM