6 t February 18, 2013
USED CAR NEWS
Company Sues Over Name By Jeffrey Bellant
A California dealership has been sued over its name and temporarily forced to take down its website. The owner of USAA Auto Group and its wholesale company, USAA Remarketing, based in Oceanside, Calif., is being sued by USAA (also known as United Services Automobile Association) for trademark infringement in using the USAA name.
said. “We carry highline vehicles like Mercedes, BMWs and Audis.” Bacon said she followed the requirements to open up the business. “When went through the state to get our name, our dealer license, insurance and rider, with no problem,” she said. She said a month ago she got a call from a USAA attorney about the suit and was surprised. Bacon said the origin of the dealership’s name is made up of the
“The defendants made it clear they weren’t going to stop using the name ‘USAA.’” Roger Wildermuth USAA, a diversified services group of companies whose membership includes mostly military veterans and their families, filed suit in San Antonio, Texas, where its home office is based. Aris Bacon, the owner of the dealership, said she and her husband have been in the car business for about 20 years, though only recently operated in Oceanside. Bacon said she opened up USAA Remarketing two years ago and started the retail lot in December. “We carry about 48 to 50 cars,” she
initials of the business partners – Sam, Aris and Allan ‘united.’ The USAA attorney told them they had to shut down their website and use of the USAA name, she said. Roger Wildermuth, company spokesman for Texas-based firm USAA, confirmed the lawsuit was filed in San Antonio’s Bexar County District Court. The court placed a temporary restraining order barring the dealer from using “USAA” in their business names or on the Internet. Continued on next page
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