There was a time when the word "Raptor" meant just one thing to the average person, a sort of bird of prey, like a hawk, eagle, or a falcon. But then came along a book called "Jurassic Park" and all of this changed.
The people who didn't read the book certainly got to know the term when the classic movie came along. By 1993, raptor, or velociraptor, became a term which was synonymous with carnivorous dinosaurs that were fast and smart; it just made them so much more terrifying.
The Dino Effect
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The idea of the raptor as a powerful, dangerous animal became etched into the minds of the public. So when Ford was thinking about a new name for its sensational Baja truck, Raptor seemed like a word which was ripe for the taking.
Since then, the F-150 Raptor has become an icon on its own. Anyone who builds an off-road pickup today winds up getting compared with the Raptor in more ways than one.
So when the movie franchise came back to the big screen with the disappointing Jurassic World in 2015, just when Ford was getting ready to release a brand new F-150 Raptor, it was all but certain that sparks were going to fly. And when two companies have a disagreement, lawyers normally do not take that long to come into the picture.
The Ford Effect
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This is a very long-winded way of us coming to the main issue that will be discussed in this article. As it appears, Universal Pictures (who own the rights to Jurassic Park) and the Ford Motor Company are currently holding legal discussions regarding the use of the Raptor trademark.
The spokesperson for Ford, Bradley Carroll, didn't waste any time when responding to questions about this legal dispute.
He said that they are having conversations with Universal regarding the use of the trademarked term specifically as far as the names of their toy vehicles are concerned which are already in the marketplace thanks to Ford. He also said that he was sure they were going to reach an agreement which will be beneficial for both parties and will leave everyone satisfied.
Issue Resolved?
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But the way Carroll is telling the story, it sounds like there really isn't a dispute between these two behemoths, there are just a few people who are trying to clarify when the term Raptor can be used on certain toy vehicles. He sounded like talks were most probably going to wrap up very soon.
The latest Ford F-150 Raptor comes with a 3.5 L V6 EcoBoost engine and a 10-speed electronic auto transmission. That's just about enough to classify it as a beast in its own right, wouldn't you say?
It also has an 8-inch LCD touchscreen center console with 911 assist and SYNC 3. There are some really cool custom paint jobs on the menu from Ford as well which means you can truly customize your Raptor to look different from everyone else.
There's no denying the fact that a beast like this can do pretty much anything on the streets and off it. It goes without saying that it deserves the name Raptor suffixed with the model number. When you see a Ford Raptor and you know about this terrifying dinosaur it is does not require too much thought on why Ford went with this title. Not too much thought at all!