Tesla Inc's (NASDAQ:TSLA) plan to bring autonomous vehicles throughout the country was a key storyline in the fourth-quarter earnings and earnings call. New trademarks filed by the company could indicate the names of some vehicles.
Tesla Files New Vehicle Trademarks
As Tesla expands its autonomous vehicle efforts, the company may have to pivot to a new name after being turned down on a trademark for "Robotaxi."
During the company's fourth-quarter earnings call, Tesla CEO Elon Musk even mentioned that Tesla may not be allowed to use certain terms in certain states.
"Because that implies that the CyberCab, which is a dedicated two-seater dedicated robo taxi, is a little confusing with the terms robo taxi and CyberCab. Sorry about the confusion. In fact, in some states, we're not allowed to use the word cab or taxi, so it's going to get even more strange. It's going to be like Cybervehicle or something Cybercar. But the CyberCab, which is a specific model that we're making, does not have a steering wheel or pedals," Musk said, as reported by Electrek.
This may have been the first time that Musk had used the phrases "Cybercar" and "Cybervehicle" publicly and Tesla was quick to file trademark claims after Musk's commentary.
According to Electrek, Tesla filed trademarks for both "Cybercar" and "Cybervehicle" shortly after the conference call at 7:32:54 p.m. ET and 7:33:31 p.m. ET.
The timing of the trademark filings could indicate concern about losing the terms, and also that the company had not considered trademarking them before. This could indicate, as Electrek points out, a panic to trademark, or that Musk hadn't used those terms before internally.
Why The Trademark Panic?
Musk unveiled the Cybercab at the company's Robotaxi event in October 2024.
Tesla was later blocked from filing for the Cybercab trademark because they didn't file until after announcing the name at their own event.
Tesla also failed to obtain approval for the Robotaxi trademark, as the USPTO deemed the name too generic.
Over the past year, Tesla has filed trademarks for "Cybercab," "Robotaxi" and "Robobus" along with the new "Cybercar" and "Cybervehicle" trademark filings.
The USPTO has been hesitant to grant Tesla trademarks with Cyber in the title as there are other companies with similar trademarks. This comes despite Tesla already having the Cybertruck.
While the future Tesla vehicle could eventually be called "Cybercar," there's a chance Tesla may have to go back to the drawing board and pick a new name.
Tesla appears not to have learned from past trademark issues. The company previously had to abandon its trademark claim for Model E, with Ford having the rights to the term for vehicles.
Photo: Shutterstock
