Source: 4carAudi trademark bid fails
Audi has had its attempt to trademark the acronym 'TDI' rejected. The European Court in Luxembourg said that it was just a descriptive characteristic of the car, and not distinctive enough a term to qualify for trademark status. The company was appealing against an earlier EU decision, and had been trying to trademark the term since 1996. The court said that "combinations of letters are commonly used in the motor industry". Trademarking TDI would have prevented any other manufacturer badging their diesels with the same letters.