Renault wins right to call car ZOE

FRENCH auto maker Renault fended off a lawsuit from families of the same name who complained it would bring ridicule on their relatives called Zoe by giving that forename to its new electric car.

Renault’s ZOE, which the firm registered as a trade mark when spelled in capitals without the accent on the final “e” found in the French name, is a small zero-emissions car due to be released in 2012.

A lawyer for two Renault families, David Koubbi, argued in court that calling a car the Renault ZOE was a breach of the privacy and human dignity of people called Zoe Renault.