GM Sues Ford Over Use Of 'Blue Cruise' Name For Hands-free Driving Technology

(RTTNews) - General Motors (GM) and its automated driving subsidiary Cruise have sued Ford Motor Co. (F) over the name of Ford's new hands-free driving technology, "BlueCruise", according to several media reports.

GM filed the trademark infringement lawsuit against Ford in U.S. District Court in Northern California.

"While GM had hoped to resolve the trademark infringement matter with Ford amicably, we were left with no choice but to vigorously defend our brands and protect the equity our products and technology have earned over several years in the market," GM reportedly said in its statement.

Meanwhile, Ford reportedly called the lawsuit "meritless and frivolous". Drivers for decades have understood what cruise control is, every automaker offers it, and 'cruise' is common shorthand for the capability.

GM first introduced Super Cruise, which allows drivers to take their hands off the wheel for brief periods, on the Cadillac CT6 in 2017. Since then, the company has expanded the technology to allow cars to change lanes on their own, and plans to offer the feature on more models.

Ford said April that it would use the name BlueCruise for its hands-free driving technology. BlueCruise would hit the road in a few months as over-the-air downloads install the system in thousands of already-sold 2021 F-150 pickups and Mustang Mach-E electric SUVs.