Is Formula 1 heading for logo trademark trouble?

Just a few months after introducing its new logo, Formula 1 could be heading for a trademark battle with industrial conglomerate 3M.

A year after taking control of F1, Liberty Media presented the sport's new logo after the 2017 season finale in Abu Dhabi.

The new design, which replaced the 23-year-old flying 'F' linked to the Bernie Ecclestone era, was introduced with much fanfare, but its concept bears a striking resemblance to an existing image used by a specialized line of support products, braces and compression tights called 'Futuro' and owned by Post-It Notes maker 3M.

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According to The Telegraph, 3M filed its logo application last year, but before Formula 1 registered its new image.

A 3M spokesman said: "3M filed a US trademark application for the Futuro logo on Feb 20 2017. Also, we have not had any discussions about the logo with the other party. We are looking into this matter further."

Given the clear distance which exists between Grand Prix racing and a brand of compression tights, one would believe that there is only a remote possibility of a claim or dispute actually reaching the courts.

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