Feb.10 (GMM) Ford is suing Ferrari after the famous Italian formula one team decided to call its 2011 car F150.

Ferrari had said the single seater is named in tribute of the 150th anniversary of Italian unification.

But F150 is a model of Ford's famous series of full-size pickup trucks.

Ford Motor Co. owns the trademark to F150 and is suing Ferrari in Detroit Federal Court.

The Ford lawsuit filed on Wednesday, claiming damage to the brand and unspecified damages, also refers to Ferrari's creation of the ferrari150.com website.

Reports said Ferrari's F150 logo, which can be seen at the aforementioned website, is similar to the Ford F-150 logo.

$100,000 in damages are therefore being claimed pursuant to the Anticybersquatting Consumer Protection Act, relating to internet domains that confuse the public.

Ford said it is seeking to prevent Ferrari from using the trademark in the US.

"Ferrari has misappropriated the F-150 trademark ... in order to capitalise on and profit from the substantial goodwill that Ford has developed," Ford said in its lawsuit.

Maranello based Ferrari is yet to comment.

"This is an important trademark for us and we've spent many years and lots of advertising resources on establishing this name and getting the trademark," Ford spokeswoman Anne Marie Gattari is quoted by the Detroit News.

"It's one we take very very seriously. It's one of our flagship vehicles."

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