US patent office refuses Tesla ‘Robotaxi’ trademark

The US Patent and Trademark Office has refused Tesla’s attempt to trademark the term “Robotaxi” in reference to its vehicles, TechCrunch reported on Wednesday, citing a filing.

Another application by Tesla to trademark the term “Robotaxi” for its upcoming ride-hailing service was still under examination by the office, the report said.

The trademark office issued on Tuesday a “nonfinal office action” on the Robotaxi trademark application, which means Tesla has three months to file a response or the office will abandon the application, the report added.

Applications from Tesla for the trademark on the term “Cybercab” have been halted due to other companies pursuing similar “Cyber” trademarks, according to TechCrunch.

Tesla did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

Last month, Tesla said its plan to roll out “autonomous ride-hailing for money” by June in Austin, Texas, remained on track.

The electric vehicle (EV) maker said in April it would have to reassess its growth forecast in three months because it was “difficult to measure the impacts of shifting global trade policy on the automotive and energy supply chains”.

The “changing political sentiment could have a meaningful impact on demand for our products in the near term”, it said.

Reuters