General Motors and Ford told a federal judge that they are negotiating a settlement in a trademark dispute over the term Cruise, which refers to hands-free driving. The automakers' attorneys said that they are working out the terms and requested a conditional dismissal from the court. If they are unable to reach an agreement, the parties will inform each other within 60 days.
BlueCruise was the name Ford chose for its hands-free driver assistance feature. In July, GM filed a trademark infringement suit alleging that BlueCruise was too similar to Cruise, its autonomous vehicle subsidiary, and Super Cruise, which is the name of the hands free driving technology GM introduced in 2017. GM claimed in its complaint that they had been in lengthy discussions about the name, but could not agree on it. GM claimed that it launched Super Cruise in 2012 and that its Cruise self-driving subsidiary was in operation since 2013.
Ford moved to dismiss the suit in August. Ford argued that cruise was a term used for driver-assist features for 50 years and that consumers don't associate it with any particular carmaker. Ford spokeswoman called GMs trademark claims frivolous and meritless. She also said that Ford had petitioned US Patent and Trademark Office to have GMs trademarks for Cruise and SuperCruise canceled.
