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Tesla's Cybercab Trademark Hits Roadblock
7 Jan
Summary
- Tesla's trademark application for Cybercab was suspended by USPTO.
- A French company applied for the Cybercab trademark weeks earlier.
- Tesla's Robotaxi trademark was rejected as a generic term.
The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has suspended Tesla's application to trademark the term "Cybercab." This suspension, revealed in a document from November of last year, stems from a conflicting application filed by a French beverage company, Unibev, on October 28, 2024. Tesla had officially applied for the "Cybercab" trademark in November 2024, over three weeks after their initial announcement of the name on October 10, 2024.
This trademark issue complicates Tesla's plans for its autonomous vehicle program. Earlier in 2024, Tesla's application for the trademark "Robotaxi" was rejected by the USPTO, as the term was classified as generic. The "Cybercab" name was used interchangeably with "Robotaxi" by Elon Musk during a 2024 event, highlighting a potential naming confusion for the company.
The USPTO's suspension letter indicates that action on Tesla's application is paused until the earlier-filed application by Unibev is either registered or abandoned. Despite Tesla's arguments against the suspension, the USPTO has found them unpersuasive, suggesting a potential negotiation or resolution is needed between Tesla and the French company.
