Toyota sees unfair Lexus nexus in Somerville, sues local wedding photographer

Where are you in life that you name your kid after a souped up Toyota?

http://www.thinkbabynames.com/meaning/0/Lexus

I was going to buy a Lexus, but now I won't, because I'm so confused about whether they're in the car business or the photography business. That and not having $60K hidden in my couch cushions.

He's the Cadillac of photographers!

My first reaction is that companies should not be allowed to claim IP rights over common English (or other language) words. In other words, Mrs Freshly's Pastry (They make the snowball twinkie things (link) should not be able to prevent the Snowball Ski Company, from using that name, for example.

But then I looked up the word Lexus, and to my surprise, Toyota invented it. While they might be jerks for suing a local guy, and should be awarded zilch for damages IMHO, they're probably the legally right party in this case.

I also suspect their lawyers tell them that if they don't sue the photographer, they will lose standing over time to protect the name when other companies borrow it. Just a hunch.

Urban Dictionary says: The name "Lexus" is derived from Toyota's LE(luxury edition cars), US(United States), and X which is taken from the word luxury, with the overall meaning to say "Luxury Edition for the United States. Put the acronyms together and you get "Lexus."

A motortrend forum and Wikipedia say:

In 1986, Toyota’s longtime advertising agency Saatchi & Saatchi formed a specialized unit, Team One, to handle marketing for the new premium brand. Image consulting firm Lippincott & Margulies was hired to develop a list of 219 prospective names; Vectre, Verone, Chaparel, Calibre and Alexis were chosen as top candidates. While Alexis quickly became the front runner, concerns were raised that the name applied to people more than cars (being associated with the Alexis Carrington character on the popular 1980s primetime drama Dynasty), and as a result the first letter was removed and the "i" replaced with a "u" to morph the name to Lexus. The marque's etymology has also been attributed to the combination of the words "luxury" and "elegance," and another theory claims it is an acronym for "luxury exports to the U.S." According to Team One interviews, the name has no specific meaning and simply denotes a luxurious and technological image.
Just prior to the release of the first vehicles, database service LexisNexis obtained a temporary injunction forbidding the name Lexus from being used as they stated it might cause confusion. The injunction threatened to delay the division's launch and marketing efforts.Upon reflection, a U.S. appeals court lifted the injunction, deciding that there was little likelihood of confusion between the two products.
The original Lexus slogan, developed after Team One representatives visited Lexus designers in Japan and noted an obsessive attention to detail, became "The Relentless Pursuit of Perfection." The Lexus logo was developed by Molly Designs and Hunter Communications. The final design for the Lexus logo featured a stylized “L” within an oval, and according to Toyota, was rendered using a precise mathematical formula. The first teaser ads featuring the Lexus name and logo, designed by Team One, appeared at the Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York auto shows in 1988

Isn't it part of trademark law that the holder actively defend the use of their trademark lest they lose it?

That said, a photography studio is very different from luxury cars, and like so many of these things, seems ridiculous.

Mr. Paolo Pacheco's specialty and need to have car association?

https://buttercuppunch.wordpress.com/2008/12/02/lexus-twists-the-knife-i...

This is a company that expects that its customers will equate having better things than others with winning at life. Of course they expect that their luxury and status addled clientele will confuse a local photographer and their cars!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90HhZ-pyC2Y