The kraftwerk from eZelleron in Hanover

eZelleron has won its case against Kraftwerk musician Ralf Hütter. On 16th April 2015, Dr. Sascha Kühn, Managing Director of the Dresden-based fuel cell manufacturer had to appear at Hamburg district court because the leader of the German electro-pop-band Kraftwerk had claimed ownership of the name rights for the “Kraftwerk” and had submitted injunctions in the USA and Germany. Despite Kühn’s previous attempts to come to an amicable agreement the matter was resolved in the court room in favor of eZelleron. “Equipment which generates power from gas, water, wind or coal, for example, can still be called a Kraftwerk in German,” explained Kühn with relief. The case had created a significant public stir. It was reported on in the media by BILD newspaper and music magazine Rolling-Stone which meant that both sides – Kraftwerk and eZelleron – got a lot of publicity. This publicity also helped eZelleron to secure its 15,000th pre-order for its palm-sized charging device in Dresden (see HZwei magazine dating from April 2015). It has now received inquiries from a total of 92 different countries. The announced delivery date is February 2016.

Author: Sven Geitmann

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