Who Owns a Name? The Cherokee Badge on Jeep Lands in the Crosshairs Again

A University of Miami law professor argues the Cherokee name in car branding may count as cultural appropriation and wants new intellectual property rules.

Jeep Grand Cherokee has once again landed at the centre of a dispute over its name. J. Janewa Osei-Tutu, a law professor at the University of Miami, argues that using the Cherokee name in automotive branding could be seen as cultural appropriation.

The legal scholar proposes changing US federal intellectual property rules and creating additional protection for what she calls «cultural personality». Under such an approach, the names of tribes and other cultural groups could be used by companies only with the permission of the communities themselves.

Jeep has used the Cherokee name across its line-up since the 1970s. The Grand Cherokee remains one of the brand's key and best-selling models in the American market.

If an idea like this ever became law, carmakers and other companies would have to think far more carefully about names tied to ethnic, historical or cultural groups.