Yamaha in driving seat as USPTO suspends Chevrolet trademark application

Car maker Chevrolet looks to have been denied a trademark for one of its new models after Japanese motorbike maker Yamaha pipped it to the post.

The US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) suspended Chevrolet’s application to register the term ‘Bolt’, intended to be used for one of its upcoming models.

Chevrolet, a division of General Motors and based in Detroit, applied for the mark at the USPTO in May last year but Yamaha applied for the same word two years before.

Another company, Indiana-based truck cab maker Bolt Custom Trucks, has also applied to trademark the Bolt name.

According to the USPTO’s trademark database, Bolt Custom Trucks applied for four marks including the word ‘Bolt’ in November 2013.

The USPTO said Chevrolet’s application will remain suspended “until the earlier-filed referenced application(s) is either registered or abandoned”.

Chevrolet will now need to change the name of the vehicle or wait for Yamaha and Bolt Custom Trucks to either register or abandon their applications before it has further clarity.

Neither Chevrolet, Yamaha nor Bolt Custom Trucks had responded to a request for comment at the time of publication.