- Aston Martin argues Geely’s new badge is too close to its winged emblem.
- The dispute is awkward since Geely owns a 17 percent stake in the company.
- British company already lost the case once and paid Geely $2,900 in costs.
There are over a dozen different automakers that use wings of one type or another in their badge these days. Aston Martin has been doing so for some 98 years at this point, and it’s just decided to pick a bone with another brand doing the same. What’s odd is that of all the brands it could go after, it chose Geely… a company that owns 17 percent of Aston Martin itself.
The British automaker has launched a fresh legal challenge against Zhejiang Geely Holding Group, arguing that three new logos Geely wants to use are too close to Aston Martin’s famous wings badge. The dispute centers on a new emblem Geely designed for its London taxi subsidiary, London EV Company. The badge features a horse’s head in the center of a set of wings, and Aston Martin says it’s close enough to confuse buyers.
More: Bentley’s New Winged Logo Hints At What’s Coming
According to The Telegraph, the fight actually started back in 2022, when Geely first tried to register the logos in the UK. Aston Martin opposed the application in 2023, claiming the Chinese company’s new design infringed on its nearly century-old trademark. But Aston Martin lost.
A UK Intellectual Property Office tribunal ruled that buyers were unlikely to mistake an electric black cab for an Aston Martin sports car, especially because other automakers already use winged logos too. The tribunal specifically pointed to brands like Bentley and Mini, both of which have long used wing-inspired badges of their own. Aston Martin was then ordered to pay Geely £2,200 ($2,900) in legal costs.
The next year, the Chinese conglomerate bought a 17 percent stake in Aston Martin for £234 million ($310 million), making it one of the company’s largest shareholders. Geely also owns Volvo, Lotus, and its own fast-growing EV business.
Despite that relationship, Aston Martin has now appealed the earlier decision to the UK Court of Appeal in hopes of blocking the logos once again. Aston says protecting its intellectual property is a priority and declined to discuss the case further. Geely, meanwhile, insists this is just a routine trademark dispute and says it remains committed to maintaining a professional relationship with Aston Martin.
