The IP office argued that the grille was not sufficiently distinctive to warrant rejection.
Although many automakers have overdone it with their front grilles, it is still possible to tell the difference between an Audi’s singleframe design and a BMW’s larger kidneys. IP Australia views things differently about Lexus’ spindle-grille. The luxury division of Toyota tried to register the design Down Under but was rejected.
Carsales in Australia cites the Hearing Officer of the bureau as saying that the spindle grille was not unique enough to be trademarked by Lexus. Japanese automaker Toyota made the point that the design does not provide any functional benefits for the vehicles, and was created solely for style.
IP Australia’s Hearing Officer says the spindle grille serves both visual and functional purposes. He also believes that Lexus cannot claim ownership of the design by using an “L” badge.
“Anyone or any company can apply to register a trademark. Some trademark applications can be rejected, as shown here. This application was rejected because it could not be used to distinguish the goods of one trader from those of other traders.
Lexus recently revealed that some customers find the grille polarizing through its global design head Koichi Suga. The way the grille looks in the future models will reflect this. Already we are seeing changes with the RZ, while the sedan and sport car electric concepts that were previewed a while back only had a narrow opening.
Some automakers pledge to keep traditional grilles in the zero-emissions era despite the rise of EVs. These grilles won’t actually be used as such, but will serve aesthetic purposes to keep a brand’s corporate identity intact.