Renault can name its small car the ‘Zoe’, a French judge has ruled.
The ruling was given in favour of the company following a bizarre case started by concerned parents of children named Zoe Renault.
Families argued that children who would share the same name as the car could face a lifetime of teasing and mockery.
According to a family lawyer “there’s a line between living things and inanimate objects, and that line is defined by the first name”.
“We’re telling Renault one very simple thing: first names are for humans,” he continued.
The judge, however, found no evidence that it would cause the children “certain, direct and current harm”.
The Renault Zoe ZE is set for launch in 2012, and its name, meaning ‘life’, will underline the company’s green credentials.Read more about the Renault Zoe
