Industry Report: Nissan to Sue Audi Over the Letter Q

But in all seriousness, it makes sense that Audi would want to use the letter Q to represent its off-road lineup, being that

Who is going to mistake a full-size Q45 luxury sedan for a compact Q5 or midsize Q7 sport utility? (Photo: Audi Canada)

quattro has been its trademarked name for all-wheel drive since its legendary Coupe Quattro dominated world rally.

And it's not as if brands like Volvo, which currently uses the letter S to represent its sedans, V to designate its wagons, and XC (for cross country) to signify crossovers and sport utility models, or Ford and Ferrari, with their F-Series and F430 (etcetera) are duking it out in the courtroom because potential sales may be lost due to confusion in the marketplace.

Exactly who is going to mistake a full-size Q45 luxury sedan for a compact Q5 or

Nissan may have a case for trademarking the combination of the alpha Q and numeric 45, or the combination of QX56 or QX4. (Photo: Shawn Pisio, Canadian Auto Press)

midsize Q7 sport utility? Even the brand's chunky full-size QX56, the replacement for the Pathfinder-based QX4, should be difficult to mix up with the curvaceous German SUVs. On that note, Nissan may have a case for trademarking the combination of the alpha Q and numeric 45, or the combination of QX56 or QX4, but it is highly unlikely a court of law will grant the Japanese automaker a trademark on a single letter despite its claim to have registered those alphanumeric names with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.