Lambretta Licensees Deny Consortium’s Trademark Infringement Claims

Two companies named in the Lambretta Consortium’s claims of trademark infringement say they have legitimate rights to use the Italian scooter brand’s name.
Clag International and Motom Electronics Group (MEG) have released a joint statement saying Italian courts have ruled their licenses to use the Lambretta name are valid. The statement was released in response to the Lambretta Consortium’s announcement about taking legal action against unlicensed use of the brand.
MEG and Clag claim they received sub-licenses to use the Lambretta trademark in 2010 from Fine Wine Line Ltd., which manages the rights to the brand on behalf of the Lambretta Consortium.
The Lambretta Consortium however claims on its website, www.lambretta.com, Motom’s sub-license agreement was terminated in December 2010 due to a breach in its contract. The Consortium also claims Clag’s sub-license was also terminated due to a failure to pay royalties and other contractual breaches.
Motom and Clag counter that argument, saying Italian courts have ruled three times in their favor (most recently in a May 30, 2011 injunction), saying their sub-licenses cannot be revoked as there was no reason for terminating their contracts.
The two companies currently offer two models bearing the Lambretta name, the Lambretta LN125 (pictured above), and the Lambretta LS125.