Jaguar Land Rover applies to renew Defender name trademark

Trademark filings have revealed plans to launch an all-new Land Rover Defender, with Jaguar Land Rover seeking to protect its rights to the name ahead of a mooted 2019 launch for the new car.

The filings also appear to head-off the reported interest from Jim Ratcliffe's company Ineos to revive production on the old Defender.

Jaguar Land Rover applied to renew the trademark to the Defender name in the Philippines on 4 August, after doing the same for the European trademark in May.

Both applications are still pending, but show the company’s plans for a next-generation Defender – due in 2019 – continue to progress.

“The registering of trademarks in various categories and classes is a routine practice," a JLR spokesperson told Autocar.

"The Defender remains a key part of our future product strategy, and the development of the next generation model remains on track as does our ongoing Land Rover Reborn programme, through Land Rover Classic."

There has been little information about the next-generation model since the final Defender rolled off the production line in January.

However, Autocar has previously reported that the next model will be part of a wider Defender lineup, including an extreme off-road SVX-badged model from JLR's Special Vehicle Operations. 

Reports earlier in the year suggested chemicals billionaire Ratcliffe was set to resurrect the iconic Defender, following the end of production. However JLR strongly refuted these claims.

The manufacturer has not suggested this latest application is in reaction to Ratcliffe’s desire to bring back the car, and reaffirmed its commitment to developing a new model.