Now Zoe Is In Trouble.
Just a few weeks ago we wrote about the trouble that manufacturers can get into when naming their new cars. We related the problems that Audi had in France when launching their new electric car the ‘e-tron’. Well, purely coincidentally, a French court has had to rule on another manufacturer’s name for their new electric car. This time it’s Renault, who have called their electric prototype the ‘Zoe”, a sort of play on words for Zero Emissions ( or, for classical scholars, a Greek word meaning ‘life’).
Sounds innocuous doesn’t it? Well, not to a Parisian family who have the surname Renault and who have two children within the family named ‘Zoe’.
They took the car company to court in an attempt to prevent them naming their car ‘Zoe’.
They lost the case, but not without their defense council making an impassioned plea on their behalf in court that must have had all court officials rocking with laughter. He pleaded that his clients, and all other Zoe’s around the world, would be subjected to ridicule as they grew older by being the target of such quips as ‘ Can I see your airbags?’ or ‘Can I shine your bumper?’ etc.etc.
The judge disagreed, so Renault can name their car ‘Zoe’ and all the Zoe’s of this world can brace themselves for a future onslaught.
Level 2, 9 Help Street