The dispute focused on the use of the “e-logo” by Enterprise Holdings’ flagship brand, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, and occurred when Europcar introduced an “e” logo in its branding in 2012. This was subsequently used extensively in Europcar’s advertising and marketing campaigns across Europe.



Enterprise claimed that the new Europcar logo was confusingly similar to the Enterprise Rent-A-Car trademark, a variant of which has been consistently used across Europe since 1994, when Enterprise Holdings set up its first branch operations in the UK.

The court found that the Enterprise Rent-A-Car trademark had distinctive character and reputation as a result of extensive use, and confusion had been caused by Europcar’s use of its “e” logo. Therefore, the court concluded that Europcar’s use of their logo infringed on Enterprise’s rights.    

Jim Burrell, European senior vice president of Enterprise Holdings, said: ‘This decision is especially welcomed at a time when we are growing our brand as a global business, and when demand for car rental is also expanding rapidly as people change their mobility habits. It is vital that our customers can be confident of the service and the value that they will receive every time they see the Enterprise brand.’

This decision closely follows an arbitration ruling in December 2014 that enabled Enterprise to terminate Europcar’s licence to operate the National and Alamo brands across Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA). These brands have now reverted to Enterprise in most of Europe, with the firm saying it is currently evaluating its position with regards to operating the three brands in Europe.