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Jaguar Land Rover Loses Trademark Battle Over Defender SUV

  • U.K. court rejects carmaker’s fight to get rights to shape
  • Ruling removes obstacles for Ineos Group’s Grenadier vehicle
The Land Rover Defender 90 First Edition SE sport utility vehicle.

The Land Rover Defender 90 First Edition SE sport utility vehicle.

Photographer: Patrick T. Fallon/Bloomberg
Updated on

Jaguar Land Rover lost a U.K. court bid to get the trademark rights for the shape of its iconic Defender SUV, freeing billionaire Jim Ratcliffe’s Ineos Group to go ahead with the Grenadier off-road vehicle.

A London court on Monday dismissed an appeal by JLR, owned by India’s Tata Motors Ltd. The U.K. Intellectual Property Office had found the shapes it sought to get protected weren’t distinctive enough.