Out-Law News

Logo designer sues Volkswagen after 60 year dispute


An 86-year-old graphic designer who says he was commissioned by the Nazis to design the famous VW logo for Volkswagen is suing the car company for failing to recognise his work, although he does not want money, according to reports.

Nikolai Borg says the German company is too embarrassed by its Nazi past to acknowledge its debt. He claims he was commissioned to design the logo on the eve of the Second World War, a claim that Volkswagen denies, arguing that the designer is unknown but that the logo was submitted to the Third Reich's patent office for copyright protection one year earlier, in 1938.

The original design featured the letter V above a W and surrounded by a cog. After the war, Britain had the cog changed to a circle and submitted that design for copyright protection in 1948. The Volkswagen or "people's car" project was part of the Nazi Kraft durch Freude propaganda scheme run by the Deutsche Arbeitsfront (DAF). The logo of the DAF was a swastika surrounded by a cog – from which the VW logo appears to be derived.

The Austrian Press Agency reports that Borg is not seeking money, but wants Volkswagen to make a joint press statement with him acknowledging that he was the author of the design. His lawyer, Meinhard Ciresa, said: "His heart’s desire is to have the historical truth established. That is why we have not sued for a single Euro."

We are processing your request. \n Thank you for your patience. An error occurred. This could be due to inactivity on the page - please try again.