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| - Ferrari is locked in a David and Goliath legal battle with a sporting charity which has trademarked the "Purosangue" name the Italian car manufacturer wants for its first SUV. The luxury urban sports utility vehicle is due for release in 2022, but shares the name of an Italian association that has a clothing and shoe brand in partnership with Adidas. "Purosangue ASD is a sporting association: it chose this name because it believes in real sport: its name means 'thoroughbred' or pure blood, in the sense of no doping," the charity's lawyer Alessandro Masetti told AFP on Friday. The association, which is active in Italy and Africa, "trademarked 'Purosangue' six years ago to protect itself from counterfeit products," Masetti said. The charity contacted Ferrari over its new car model name and was offered a settlement, "but the sum was ridiculous," said Masetti. Ferrari claims that the charity has not used the "Purosangue" brand for years, something the association contests. A court in Bologna, near Ferrari headquarters in Maranello in northern Italy, is to hold an initial hearing on the case on March 5. "It's David and Goliath, they have money that we don't have," said Masetti. "The people at the association are bitter, because they don't understand why Ferrari wants to spend all this money on court cases when a deal could be easily reached," said the lawyer, who is working pro bono for the charity. Contacted by AFP, Ferrari said they do not comment on ongoing legal cases. cco/cjo-amsgreat,
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