The first step once you've come up with a name for your new automobile should probably be a quick check to make sure someone isn't already using it before going further. However, the quickly growing Chinese brand GAC went ahead and launched its minivan with the name M8 for the Australian market last December. Uh oh, sounds like trouble for GAC, right? Everyone knows the M8 is a BMW, and a fantastic one at that.GAC According to Car Expert, BMW was aware of this but didn't rush to place a formal opposition claim despite M8 being its flagship high-performance GT car. Does this mean trouble is in store for BMW? Not exactly, as Car Expert reports that the two automakers had a friendly conversation, and GAC is changing its minivan's name to E9. That could lead to yet another discussion, though. If you're a die-hard BMW enthusiast, you've probably already made the connection. For the rest, let us explain. GAC Is Making Things Harder Than They Need To Be BMW "In Australia it's M8, but in China it's E9. Maybe we will change the name from M8 to E9," CEO of GAC international Australia Kevin Shu told Car Expert. But, here's the thing about E9. While not an official name in the BMW world, E9 was the designation for a range of BMW grand touring coupes in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and the spiritual predecessor to the modern M8. So there's still a BMW connection, even with E9. We honestly don't know if it's merely a coincidence, or if GAC is trolling BMW for headlines.BMW isn't using the E9 designation at the moment, but it's one of BMW's most historically significant names, and the iconic 3.0 CSL homologation model was part of the range. BMW has been looking back before moving forward lately, and even resurrected its Neue Klasse (New Class) name for a new range of cars. The E9 is a direct relation to the original New Class range of coupes.In any case, the current situation between BMW and GAC sounds cordial, at least from GAC's perspective."It was like, 'could you do us a favor and maybe change it?,' but it wasn't anything aggressive between us and BMW at all," said GAC Australia director of after sales Andrew Ratajczak. But BMW likely didn't need to flex too hard here. The BMW M8 is a registered trademark in Australia, and it would likely have been a quick loss in court for GAC should the company pursued M8 for its van. What's In A Name? BMWAccording to a BMW representative, the brand "protects the well-established reputation of its premium products." That is polite PR code for not wanting the name of its $150,000 high-performance sports car slapped on a plug-in hybrid minivan. While the M8 has recently gone out of production, it's still part of BMW's brand identity and a name it will likely use again.Protecting a global brand's intellectual property, like copyright and trademark, has been historically difficult when it comes to China. China started to integrate into the global IP framework in the 1980s, becoming part of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). However, China certainly hasn't been diligent about enforcing copyright over the decades when it comes to cars, allowing some breathtaking copycat cars to exist.That might change now that China has become a global powerhouse with the rise of EVs and the technology the country has developed.