Testarossa is one of the brand’s most storied and recognized names.
A German court revoked the trademark three years ago.
Historic racecar, childhood poster superstar, the Ferrari Testarossa is as historically significant to the Italian brand as the Mustang is to Ford. The difference is that the Testarossa went out of production nearly 25 years ago and because of this, a German court revoked Ferrari’s right to the trademark.
The source story on Bloomberg.com (subscription required) does not explain why a German court would go through the trouble of coming up with this judgment – we can’t picture another car wanting to use the Testarossa moniker on one of their own products. A Volkswagen Golf “Testarossa?”
Ferrari Testarossa | Photo: Matt St-Pierre
As we all know, Testa Rossa is Italian for “red head” is in reference to the red valve covers. The reason for the judgment is that Ferrari had not used the trademarked name for years. A recent European Court ruling has overturned the ruling allowing Ferrari to keep its German trademark for Testarossa.
The final ruling by the EU Court of Justice in Luxembourg summarized by Bloomberg: “A trademark for a discontinued product — such as the iconic Testarossa — remains valid as long as the owner still provides services or resells second-hand goods under the name,”
