Background:

As the number of vehicles start to proliferate at a rapid rate, we have been pleasantly surprised to see the new Honda SUV come out with a very common, and great name: Pilot. It seems so appropriate that we got to wondering why it had not been taken before, even though we do know the vehicle category of names is actually a lot smaller than many other trademark categories.

A review of the trademark registry shows the answer. Honda already owned the trademark Pilot - they had first registered it back in 1990 for an ATV! This also illustrates another point: Many companies have a treasure trove of naming intellectual property already.

And for those of you not familiar with trademark law, how come Honda can use the word Pilot but Palm was forced by Pilot Pens to drop its usage? Answer: Different trademark categories and no likelihood of confusion.

As for the graphics presentation of this name, there really is none, so we have to give it a low score. But nothing should be read into this - as often there is no room for car names to have separate graphics or image treatments. All that is reserved for the company brand name.

You already know where to find them at your local Honda Dealer, or see them online at www.honda.com.