TL Jaguar Ltd changes name to Tom Lenthall Ltd - May 2014

[tomlenthall]

TL JAGUAR LTD has now been renamed TOM LENTHALL LTD as of May/June 2014

Due to Jaguar trademark laws we have been instructed to rename the business, removing the Jaguar name from the registered business name and domain name. Jaguar will also take ownership of our domain name in the next week or so as part of their conditions.

New website & email:

www.tomlenthall.co.uk

[e-mail]

Tel: [phone]

[NormanD]

Hi Tom

Sorry that Jaguar are clamping down on the use of their Jaguar name as well as things like XK8 and XKR
This is making it difficult for all Jaguar specialists like yourselves

I hope you soon get over this set back

I'm sure all those that know your expertise in all Jaguars from the C-Type D-Type as well as the E-Type
Even more modern cars like the XJ's through to the likes of my XKR

Any way best of success in the future under you new trading name

NormanD

[Kinky]

Discounts for PHers?

[designXKR]

Jaguar can demand that you stop using a domain name but they cannot demand that you hand it over to them.

They would need to go through the Nominet Resolution Service and obtain a Court Order before they can demand that you hand over the domain name.

[Jagmanv12]

I believe there are over 60 companies registered at Companies House with Jaguar in their name. Most of which have nothing to do with Jaguars - i.e builders, plumbers, consultants, etc. Will Jaguar go after all of them? I wonder if their legal department thinks about the bad PR they create.

[Roy C]

Jagmanv12 said:

I believe there are over 60 companies registered at Companies House with Jaguar in their name. Most of which have nothing to do with Jaguars - i.e builders, plumbers, consultants, etc. Will Jaguar go after all of them? I wonder if their legal department thinks about the bad PR they create.

They're certainly targeting the independent specialists with Jaguar or Jag or a model name in their title.
This looks like a corporation flexing the muscles via their legal people.
IMHO it shows JLR in a poor light if they think that specialists mostly working on old models (original XKs, E-Types, XJ6, XJS, etc.) are harming their business.

[jith]

In 1982 I had a very good customer who was a local joiner. A very well respected and talented craftsman. He bought a new BMW 320 from the local agents; it was his 3rd BM and he loved them. At that time most of my work was Jaguar and BMW with a smattering of Mercedes thrown in. I was driving a 3.0CSi.

When the car was only 8 months old it started rattling at idle in neutral. Depress the clutch the rattle disappeared. I told him I couldn't touch it as it was still under warranty, but that it was clearly a gearbox issue and to take it back to them for repair under warranty. The car had covered 8000 miles from new.

The dealers had the car in 3 times and stripped the gearbox each time to say there was nothing wrong with it and "it was just one of those things"! After the 3rd attempt he told me to strip it and find the fault. He would pay me and claim it back from BMW. I wished him the best of luck, stripped the 'box to discover that the reverse idler gear, which is constantly in mesh at idle, had an oversize oilite bush fitted and was too big for the shaft it ran on. This is almost unbelievable on a factory assembled item, and I started to dig a wee bit deeper. I discovered from a friend who worked for BMW that they had a whole batch of these boxes with the same fault, but wouldn't admit it.

I made a new bush, rebuilt the 'box and it was perfect. I then gave the customer a technical report to send to BMW on our letterhead. Our letterhead had the words Jaguar and BMW specialists on it.

Two days later a recorded delivery letter landed on my desk from a seriously heavy firm of solicitors in London acting for BMW demanding a ludicrous sum of money from me for breach of copyright, the delivery to them of all my invoices, letterheads and business cards, and a written commitment to recall all paperwork I have issued to customers with the words BMW on it!!

I actually burst out laughing when I read it at first as it was so utterly stupid and was a naked attempt to threaten me as retaliation for exposing BMWs bloody awful gearboxes. But at the end of the day it wasn't really funny at all.

I responded by writing an article about it in the SMTA magazine so everyone in the trade knew about the problem with the gearboxes and reminded the London lawyer that being English he couldn't act in a Scottish court. He threatened me with legal action several times and was one of the most unpleasant individuals I have ever encountered.

The customer finally got paid by BMW and then sold his car and went to Audi. There is clearly a wee moral in there about how to treat people, but I have never forgotten just what utter bds BMW were.

Watch your back Tom.

J

[designXKR]

Roy C said:

Jagmanv12 said:

I believe there are over 60 companies registered at Companies House with Jaguar in their name. Most of which have nothing to do with Jaguars - i.e builders, plumbers, consultants, etc. Will Jaguar go after all of them? I wonder if their legal department thinks about the bad PR they create.

They're certainly targeting the independent specialists with Jaguar or Jag or a model name in their title.
This looks like a corporation flexing the muscles via their legal people.
IMHO it shows JLR in a poor light if they think that specialists mostly working on old models (original XKs, E-Types, XJ6, XJS, etc.) are harming their business.

There are different categories that Trade marks are registered in i.e Jaguar have registered in Manufacturing cars, repair of cars, magazines even clothing. Our problem is the use of xkr in our name.

The trademark lawyer working for JLR sent us a letter quoting ebay as a source of trademark and domain name law!!!! I have refused to sign their agreement at the moment as it would require handing over our domain name if they have no right to demand.

[pete5570]

This might not go down too well, but I am with Jaguar on this (and any other company who registers trademarks). They are simply looking after their trademarks that they have paid to register and have built up into a major brand. If I repaired watches for a living and decided to call myself ABC Rolex LTD, because I was a dab hand with them, I would fully expect a good slapping from them. Jaguar have official dealerships who use the name, why would they want independents using their brand when they get nothing out of it. I would advise anyone using any car brand name/model etc, to lose it and think of something original to be sure this doesn't happen to them. It isn't just Jaguar who protect their brand aggressively.

[Jagmanv12]

I would agree with protecting "Jaguar Cars" as that is the name of the company and names from the founders such as Ferrari and made up names such as Amstrad. However to trademark something from nature that was in existence a long time before the company is wrong. Somebody could trademark "sun", "soil", "earth", "walk", even "Jesus" and then stop anybody else from using those words.

[B3NNL]

Jagmanv12 said:

I would agree with protecting "Jaguar Cars" as that is the name of the company and names from the founders such as Ferrari and made up names such as Amstrad. However to trademark something from nature that was in existence a long time before the company is wrong. Somebody could trademark "sun", "soil", "earth", "walk", even "Jesus" and then stop anybody else from using those words.

No they couldn't. When trademarking a name you associate it with a service/object etc. You cannot just balnket the use of the word unless it holds definite recognition i.e. Dyson & Tesco. Also words without identity cannot be trademarked, so the word Sun, Soil etc could never be trademarked on their own. However, Sun motor company or Heavenly Soil Coy, would probably be acceptable.

The Jaguar name would probably be fine for someone wishing to start say a flower shop called Jaguar leaves Ltd. But saying that, you will probably found that Jaguar cars has bought the trademark rights for almost every niche for the use of the word Jaguar.

[Dodsy]

Interesting that TL is where I will be taking my XJR when I find some time to have a fault diagnosed. This is on the recommendation of a Jaguar Dealer who admitted that if its more than an oil change they cant really help with faults unless the computer tells them what to do.

Perhaps if Jaguar dealers had to earn the right to use that trademark it might actually mean something.

[a8hex]

Now lets look forward to Jaguar's legal zombies having a go at Bentley's marketing zeebs over the abuse of "grace space and pace"

[sly fox]

It's legal going too far to justify their existence. Lancaster Jaguar in Reading told me to talk to you several times, it's clear that you are not affecting their business or misrepresenting the brand.


Anyway, Good to see that you are still going strong Tom, i miss my Red S Type R so much that i am looking at XK/R or XF 5.0 soon, so will be in touch if the purchase comes off.

Mark

[williamp]

a8hex said:

Now lets look forward to Jaguar's legal zombies having a go at Bentley's marketing zeebs over the abuse of "grace space and pace"

There is at least one pre-war MG advert with the same slogan!

[piquet]

Since jaguar are so fond of customer satisfaction, if i was their legal department there are dealers i'd stop using the name jaguar before tom

he looked after my car for a good few years, never did anything but an amazing job, wish the same could be true of the local jaguar dealership