Ford motor company is an American automaker based in Detroit, Michigan. It was founded in 1903 by Henry Ford and is one of the few companies to survive the Great Depression and later World War II. The largest family-controlled company globally, the ford motor company has been in continuous family control for over a century. Few manufacturers have a history as long-running as Ford.
Ford was a pioneer in the automotive industry, one of Henry Ford’s first inventions was a Quadricycle, a four-wheeled bicycle that was motor-run. When he later began the ford motor company in 1903, his first project was the two-cylinder Model A, which was first sold in 1903 and could travel at a speed of 30 miles per hour at eight horsepower. It was followed by Models B and C. In 1908 he issued the Model T, which became a huge hit. Its price was only $825, and most Americans could afford it. This made the vehicle the most sold serial car at the time. Its glory lasted through 1927 before it was replaced by a new version of the Model A. Ford pioneered a new industrial production technique known as assembly lines in its early days.
Henry Ford retired in 1919 and was replaced by his son Edsel, who employed his brothers Henry II, Benson, and William. Since then, the company has been under continuous family control. Ford contributed many classic cars to the automotive industry, such as the Ford Cortina and the Ford Mustang, which remain sought after by car enthusiasts today.
Today, Ford remains as relevant as ever, producing nearly 7 million cars per year.
Famous Ford Trademarks
With such a big name brand to protect, it should come as no surprise that Ford is no stranger to trademarking their assets. We’ll take a look at some of the most popular trademarks owned by Ford.
Mustang
Ford registered the ”Mustang” trademark in 1964, the trademark logo, featuring a Mustang horse, wouldn’t be trademarked until the ’90s, however. The Mustang wordmark applies to the following categories:
- Bicycles.
- Jigsaw puzzles.
- Belt buckles.
- Automotive trading cards, calling cards.
- Shop manuals for automotive repair.
- Paperweights.
- Bank checks and checkbook covers.
- Posters.
- Autoparts and accessories include license plate frames, sunshades, sunscreens, and exterior insignia badges.
- Vehicle seat covers.
- Clothing and apparel.
Ford Logo
The stylized lettering part of the traditional Ford Logo is probably the oldest trademark owned by Ford, dating back to 1909. The trademark applies to the following categories:
- Automobiles and their parts.
- Explosive engines and their parts.
- Running gears, chassis, and electronically propelled automobiles.
- Electrical sparking and timing apparatus.
- Lubricating oils.
- Oil filters.
- Electric cigarette lighters.
- Speedometers.
- Vehicle gasoline tanks.
- Mirrors and windshields that are used in the assembling of vehicles.
Motorcraft
Ford is a leading auto part provider via their subsidiary brand, Motorcraft. The trademark registration for Motorcraft took place in 1993, with a first use date of sometime in 1984.
The Motorcraft trademark covers the following:
- Beverageware, portable coolers, and glasses.
- Brushes with ice scrapers.
- Pens, stationery, pen pads.
- Flashlights.
- Clocks, including alarm clocks.
- Manually operated tools and toolkits, including screwdrivers.
- Pressure gauges.
- Sunglasses.
- Minature car models.
- Motor oil and other automotive lubricants.
- Brake fluid and antifreeze.
- Stain repellant for fabrics.
- Tire repair kits and piston rings.
- Drive belts and clutch discs.
- Fuel gauges and oil gauges.
Ford Blue Advantage
One of the most recent trademark filings on this list, Ford filed to trademark ”Ford Blue Advantage” in 2020. If approved, the brand will cover the following areas:
- Dealership services, including the sale of pre-owned vehicles, processing warranty registration for vehicles including vans, pick-up trucks, and SUVs; retail dealership and wholesale distributorship services in the field of motor vehicles; and advertising, marketing, and promotional services for automotive dealerships.
- Extended warranty services, namely, service contracts for vehicle dealerships on pre-owned vehicles sold exclusively through authorized automotive dealerships.
Ford pass: built to keep you moving
In 2019, Ford sought to trademark the phrase ”Ford pass: built to keep you moving” in reference to their smart Ford pass app. The application covers the following:
- Incentive award programs to promote the sale of products and services of others; arranging and conducting incentive reward programs to promote the sale of goods and services in the automotive industry; advertising services, the sales promotion for others, marketing services.
- Promoting the sale of goods and services of others in the fields of consumer products, restaurant services, ride-sharing, car-sharing, parking, vehicle fleet management, automotive and electric vehicles, mobile activities, and mobile data networks by dissemination of promotional materials and product information through an online global computer network.
Fastor Charge
Ford has submitted a trademark application for the ”Fastor Charge” mark.
The mark consists of the words “Fastor Charge” in script, with the image of a blue and white electrical cord extending from the letter “F” above the wording. The word “Fastor” is blue; “Charge” is green. If approved, the mark will apply in the following categories:
- Charging station services for electric vehicles; battery charging services; vehicle service stations.
- Apparatus and instruments for conducting, switching, transforming, accumulating, regulating, or controlling electricity, namely, charging stations for electric vehicles; batteries for vehicles; accumulators and chargers for vehicle batteries.
Ford Safe and Smart
Ford Safe and Smart is a suite of additional safety features that include Cruise control and collision warnings. The first use was recorded in 2017, and the trademark covers the following:
- Computerized surveillance and electronic control systems for motor vehicles, comprised of computer hardware and application software, cameras, optical sensors, ultrasound sensors, and radar, to detect external objects, obstructions, road lane marks, external light level, and precipitation, and react through the command of the vehicle steering system, brakes, cruise control, engine, actuators, display monitors, windshield wipers, automotive warning lights, and headlights.
A Greener Shade of Blue
Referencing their typical Blue Oval Ford trademark, ”A greener shade of blue” is a marketing slogan used for the Ford Hybrid car. The first recorded use was in 2019, and the trademark covers the following:
- Retail store services feature motor vehicles, namely automobiles, trucks, vans, sport-utility vehicles, and their structural parts and engines.
- Promoting the sale of goods of others by disseminating promotional materials and product information through a global computer network and distributing printed material, audio, and video recordings.
- All services related to motor land vehicles, namely, automobiles, trucks, vans, sport-utility vehicles, and their structural parts and engine.
Ford Bronco
The Ford Bronco is an SUV brand manufactured and marketed by Ford. The first sport-utility vehicle developed by the company, five generations of the Bronco, was sold from the 1966 to 1996 model years; a sixth generation of the model line is an upcoming vehicle to be sold for the 2021 model year. The Bronco mark was first registered in 1964 and covers:
- Motor trucks.
- Automotive glass, vehicle windows, windshields for vehicles, automotive grilles, structural parts for automobiles.
- Land motor vehicles, namely, passenger automobiles, pick-up trucks, sport utility vehicles.
Wrapping Up
Ford Motor Company could be considered a living history of the automotive industry, spanning some of the most impressive advances in technology. Not only that, but they’re an automotive giant and worth an estimated 50 billion USD.
Part of this immense worth will be made up of brand value and intellectual property, which you can only protect with proper registration with the U.S. Patent and trademark office.
