The law suit is directed against exploitation of the Touring Superleggera name by Dutch-based Zeta Europe BV which, following one of its own trademark relaunches throughout the EU and in Switzerland, the Swiss claimant believes is infringing upon protected rights of Touring Superleggera Ltd. Zeta Europe BV presented the Maserati Gransport-based A8GCS Berlinetta concept at the Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este in April.

Swiss-based Touring Superleggera Markenverwaltungsgesellschaft AG has filed a suit with the Frankfurt Regional Court against several companies in the automotive industry on account of trademark infringements. The Swiss claimant is taking action to defend a comprehensive trademark portfolio of the well-established Italian trademark Carrozzeria Touring which it manages.

From 1926 to 1966 in particular, its patented lightweight "Superleggera" was a leader in bodywork construction, owing to its stylish and technologically superior design. Its creations for the leading European manufacturers of the day, such as Alfa Romeo, Aston Martin, BMW and Ferrari, command top prices at classic-car auctions and still receive awards at Concours d'Elegance worldwide.

The suit is directed against exploitation of this image by Dutch-based Zeta Europe BV which, following one of its own trademark relaunches throughout the EU and in Switzerland, is infringing upon protected rights of Touring Superleggera Ltd. The initiator of the trademark revival, branded as trademark piracy in the suit, is the Belgian industrialist Roland d'Leteren. He has already acquired several prestigious Italian trademarks in the car sector, including the steering-wheel specialist Nardi, and Ruote Borrani, a top-ranking spoked-wheel manufacturer.

The investor group represented by the claimant alleges that its comprehensive business plan, which will soon be implemented for a timely revival of Touring Superleggera as the leading trademark in design and high-tech lightweight construction, is being jeopardised in numerous market areas. These include fuel-saving, low-emission construction systems for land and water vehicles and aircraft, as well as designs for alternative mobility without the use of a combustion engine. In particular, steps should be taken to shift the focus on exclusive custom-built models, which is hampering the core competences of the Touring Superleggera trademark.

This spring, two Maserati-based prototypes were unveiled in defiance of written warnings, whereby the "Berlinetta" model name, which is also protected for Touring Superleggera Ltd, was used. Such repeated violation of third-party trademark rights by Zeta Europe BV, which is set to continue, prompted the action for an injunction and claim for damages, which is also being levelled at Fiat-owned Maserati SpA. The Touring Superleggera Markenverwaltungsgesellschaft is already involved in a lawsuit with the Audi subsidiary Lamborghini, which in the interim has halted production of its "Gallardo Superleggera" model.