Edmunds.com Protects "True Cost to Own" Trademark; Prevails in Litigation

SEE ALSO: The New Car Buyer's Guides "Total Ownership Costs"(TOC) Where You Can Compare Total Cost of Up To 4 Cars Side By Side For 1-5 Years of Ownership

SANTA MONICA, Calif.--Edmunds.com, the premier online resource for automotive information, announced today that it has prevailed in litigation with a newly-formed competitor that infringed on the company's trademark True Cost to Own^®. This trademark is the name of Edmunds.com's free tool that projects model-specific, regional average vehicle five-year ownership costs for new and used vehicles, consisting of depreciation, financing, taxes, fees, insurance premiums, fuel costs, maintenance and repairs for. It is one of a suite of trademarks that use the phrase "True Cost" to denote Edmunds.com as a source of automotive data.

The defendant agreed to permanently cease using "True Cost" as a mark and to pay Edmunds.com an undisclosed sum of money.

"We take the protection of our trademarks very seriously. This situation illustrates our commitment to vigorously defend against any attempts to inappropriately capitalize on our strong brand equity," asserted Edmunds.com CEO Jeremy Anwyl.

About Edmunds.com, Inc. (http://www.edmunds.com/help/about/index.html)

Edmunds.com Inc. publishes four Web sites that empower, engage and educate automotive consumers, enthusiasts and insiders. Edmunds.com, an online resource for automotive information, launched in 1995 as one of the first automotive information Web site. Its mobile site, accessible from any smartphone at www.edmunds.com, makes car pricing and other research tools available for car shoppers at dealerships and otherwise on the go. InsideLine.com is the most-read automotive enthusiast Web site. Its mobile site, accessible from any smartphone at www.insideline.com, features the wireless Web's highest quality car photos and videos. CarSpace is the most established automotive social networking Web site. AutoObserver.com provides insightful automotive industry commentary and analysis. Edmunds.com Inc. is headquartered in Santa Monica, California, and maintains a satellite office in suburban Detroit. Follow Edmunds.com on Twitter @edmunds and fan Edmunds.com on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/edmunds.