Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) has threatened legal action against National Rail in a dispute over its use of the terms “rover” and “ranger” for rail tickets, claiming they infringe on its Range Rover trademark.
The Indian-owned carmaker issued a cease-and-desist letter to the Rail Delivery Group (RDG), which manages the National Rail website, demanding the terms be removed. According to a memo seen by The Telegraph, train operators have now been told to strip references to “ranger” and “rover” from their sites.
The RDG has advised companies they may continue to market “ranger tickets” and “rover tickets” under amended names, and JLR has reportedly indicated it will not pursue further action against retailers who comply.
Rover tickets, which allow unlimited rail travel for a week, pre-date the Range Rover by more than a decade. British Rail introduced its first All-Line Rail Rover ticket in the 1950s, costing £15 for second class – equivalent to about £304 today. By comparison, a modern seven-day All-Line Rover second-class ticket is priced at £650.
The first Range Rover was not unveiled until 1970.
A spokesperson for the Rail Delivery Group said: “We are confident that our practices have always complied with intellectual property law and were happy to work with Jaguar Land Rover towards a resolution. After being made aware of a trademark query by JLR, we worked closely with them to make a minor change to how we describe our Ranger tickets and Rover tickets.”
National Rail and Jaguar Land Rover have been approached for comment.
The row comes as JLR faces wider scrutiny. Earlier this month, US President Donald Trump claimed the company was in “absolute turmoil” following what he described as a “totally disastrous woke” rebrand. Trump criticised a recent advert featuring brightly dressed models, comparing it to “Bud Lite going woke”.
The company is also undergoing internal upheaval. In July, chief executive Adrian Mardell announced he would step down at the end of the year after more than 30 years at the firm. The business is in the midst of restructuring, with 500 UK management roles due to be cut as part of a voluntary redundancy programme.
JLR has committed to repositioning Jaguar as an electric-only luxury car brand from 2026, in what is regarded as one of the most transformative periods in its history.