By Kim Tae-gyu
Ever since U.S. technology behemoth Apple overwhelmed the high-tech market with its i-gadgets such as the iPod, iPhone and iPad, companies appear to compete to preempt the rights for trademarks starting with the letter ``i.’’
There is a potential high-profile case involving such a trademark between Hyundai-Kia Automotive Group of Korea and BMW of Germany.
Although BMW has yet to confirm, many believe that the carmaker will employ a fresh model, for instance the i1 or the i2, for its electric vehicles that are set to hit the market soon.
BMW has reportedly filed a registration for the trademarks of i1, i2, i3, i4, i5, i6, i7, i8 and i9 with the German government to use the names for its eco-friendly electric machines.
Under the so-called Megacity project, BMW is thinking of launching a set of small-sized city cars starting in 2013 in order to cater to the needs of residents in metropolitan areas in the United States, Japan and China.
Hyundai Motor would not be happy with the news because the Seoul-based player already has models that carry the ``i’’ nameplates such as the i10, the i20 and the i30 that are popular in Europe and India.
Since the first release in late 2007, around 1.8 million i-series vehicles have been sold. The figure includes a quarter of a million sales in Germany which has greatly helped Hyundai nudge past its Japanese rivals there.
Hyundai Motor, which aims to become the world’s No. 4 automaker this year along with its sister company Kia Motors, is looking to come up with a hatchback with the title of the i40 in Europe in the not-so-distant future.
When contacted, Hyundai Motor refused to comment saying that BMW has not officially announced its policy of using the letter ``i’’ while BMW Korea responded that the outfit did not have any information from its head office in Germany.
Market observers predict that the case might end up as a legal battle in the case BMW uses the i-something for its new brands in a worst-case scenario.
``BMW might say that its i-series has different numbers compared to that of Hyundai assuming that the former adopts the names. By contrast, the latter would not buy the explanation,’’ a Seoul analyst said.
``In the same way, Hyundai Motor might complain that it will use the name Mini Cooper F because it uses a different initial compared to BMW group’s Mini Cooper S. The dispute is feared to be brought to court.’’
BMW is a leading brand among foreign cars in Asia’s fourth-largest economy as the firm has been a perennial favorite here as a pioneer of the Korean market.