Originally Posted by Prisoner Monkeys
I don't doubt that the team name was registered and owned by Araujo.
What I am questioning is Araujo's motives in all of this. He was removed by the team. He claims that they did this unfairly. We only have his word that they did it unfairly. He isn't trying to get control of the name back. He's trying to force his way back into the team. He's trying to use the threat of legal action to make the team drop Atkinson and reinstate him. And that's why the FIA won't act. If they suspend the team's licence, they won't be able to compete until they file for a new licence, which then has to go through the accreditation procedure. They would likely lose their manufacturer status in the process, and they may not be able to compete in Wales given the time the procedure will take. However, if that were to happen, then you can bet that Araujo will tell the team that if they reinstate him, they will be entitled to use the name, their licence will be returned, and they will be able to continue rallying with a minimum of fuss.
We only have Araujo's claim that he was unfairly dismissed from the team. That dismissal is what led to him challenging the team's right to use the name. If he was not dismissed, he would not be challenging it. But we have no evidence that Araujo was unfairly dismissed in the first place, which is why I am questioning his motives in challenging the use of the name. It's not like Araujo is moving to another team and is asking Motorsport Italia to stop using the Mini Portugal name because he is no longer associated with them. He is trying to get back into the team and is using the name as leverage to do it.