From my limited experience with defending / enforcing ownership of a business name the only real way to be reasonable certain you actually own a name /logo is through ownership of a registered Trade Mark. However if you knowingly allow someone to use your name /logo, even if it is a registerd Trade Mark, without taking action then you lose your right to have exclusive ownership of that name to those you allowed to use the name.
It would be hard for LR to say they don't know about Aulro or any other entity or business that has Land Rover in it. Personally if I was in that position I wouldn't be asking for permission of anyone to use a name as it is equal to saying that they are the actual owners and you acknowledge that. It is up to that company/corporation to stop you, not for you to ask for permission.
A registered trading name or company meens little when it comes to legal ownership of a name / logo.
How big corporations get away with stopping people who have used similar or same names for any period of time knowingly, even after allowing others to use their name for years, is to just threaten with large expensive court actions that most individuals can't afford to defend so they give up and let themselves be bullied when chances are a court might find in their favour.
cheers,
Terry

