Nissan is seeking an injunction in the High Court against the EU Vote Leave campaign following persistent use of the firm’s name and logo without permission.
The official European Referendum ‘Brexit’ campaign has, says Nissan, used the firm’s name and logo in its literature and on its website – even after Nissan’s “repeated requests for them to stop.
Brexit Remain vote ‘critical’ warns UK automotive industry
“Permission to use our name and logo was not requested. If it was, it would not have been granted.” Nissan says Vote Leave’s use of its brand symbol “grossly misrepresents our widely circulated and publically stated position”.
Nissan has thus issued legal proceedings in the High Court, “asking for an injunction to stop Vote Leave’s use of Nissan’s name and logo, and to prevent them from making any further false statements and misrepresentations concerning Nissan”.
Rather than taking sides in the Brexit referendum, Nissan is not supporting any political campaign, deeming it “a matter for the people of the UK to decide”.
It did, however, say in February that it would prefer Britain remained in the EU: “For us, a position of stability is more favourable than a collection of unknowns,” said Nissan chairman and CEO Carlos Ghosn.
8 in 10 Nissans built in the UK are exported, with most of them going to other European markets.