Polish airlines LOT threatens Germany’s Lufthansa over new logo
Poland’s national airline PLL LOT is threatening German competitor Lufthansa with legal action over its new logo.
Aerotelegraph.com reports that LOT says the Germans’ new logotype too closely resembles LOT’s own.
Although both airlines have long used the image of a crane in flight to trademark their aircraft, a rebranding exercise undertaken by the German flag carrier in 2018, in which its characteristic logotype was refreshed, has caused consternation in its Polish counterpart due to a change in colour.
The crane symbol that characterises the Polish carrier emerged in 1931 and was designed by Tadeusz Lucjan Gronowski, a graduate of the National School of Fine Arts (l'École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts) in Paris.
The new logotype on the tail fin of Lufthansa planes bears the traditional crane but on a navy-blue background, which LOT fears could cause confusion among the airlines’ passengers.
A LOT spokesman said: “LOT has announced its opposition to the registration of the logotype – the crane icon on the navy blue background of the planes’ tailfin. Due to the ongoing procedure we are not commenting on the matter.”
The new logotype on the tail fin of Lufthansa planes bears the traditional crane but on a navy-blue background,
The crane symbol that characterises the Polish carrier emerged in 1931 and was designed by Tadeusz Lucjan Gronowski, a graduate of the National School of Fine Arts (l'École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts) in Paris.
Other famous students of the school include Henri Matisse and Eugène Delacroix, and among Poles, Jacek Malczewski and Tadeusz and Karol Stryjeński.
Lufthansa’s logo used to be yellow.
However, Lufthansa was first to use the crane as its logo, having adopted it in 1918.
The two have coexisted since before the war as long as the backgrounds were different colours.
