Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium’s most famous racetrack and one of the most iconic in the world, plans to contest an application by Infiniti to trademark “Eau Rouge,” the circuit’s legendary turn.
The director of the Spa-Francorchamps circuit, Pierre-Alain Thibaut, said the regional Wallonian government which owns the track will challenge Nissan’s trademark application for the Infiniti Q50 Eau Rouge performance sedan.
“It’s like they want to steal the brand from the circuit. We consider it exactly the opposite of fair play,” Thibaut told Bloomberg in a phone interview. In April this year, the circuit obtained a European Union trademark for the name.
Hong-Kong based Infiniti spokesman Stefann Weinmann said on August 22 that the luxury carmaker hasn’t made a final decision on whether to produce the performance sedan, or on its name. At the time he said that the Infiniti Q50 Eau Rouge prototype was still undergoing testing for its various components.
However, a filing on the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s website said the application will be published on November 4, followed by a 30-day period for complaints. The circuit’s director claims Nissan also sought the “Eau Rouge” trademark in Japan.
Weinmann and another Infiniti spokesman couldn’t be reached to comment on Spa-Francorchamps’ decision to challenge the use of the “Eau Rouge” (Red Water) name. The famous corner is located on a sweeping uphill part of the circuit and sources its name from a stream that crosses the track through the Ardennes forest.
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