The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has rejected Tesla’s attempt to trademark the term “Robotaxi” in reference to its vehicles, TechCrunch reported on Wednesday, citing official filings.
According to the report, the USPTO issued a “nonfinal office action” on Tuesday, which gives Tesla a three-month window to respond. If the company fails to address the agency’s concerns within that period, the application will be considered abandoned.
See also: Uber CEO Confirms Tesla Declined Collaboration on Robotaxi Platform
Tesla also filed a separate application to trademark “Robotaxi” for its planned ride-hailing service. That application is still under examination, the report said. Efforts to secure the trademark “Cybercab” have also been delayed due to overlapping claims involving other companies seeking to trademark names with “Cyber” components.
Tesla has not issued a public statement in response to the USPTO’s decision. The automaker’s plan to deploy an autonomous ride-hailing service by June in Austin, Texas, remains unchanged. In April, Tesla said the rollout of “autonomous ride-hailing for money” was on track.
See also: Tesla’s 2025 Robotaxi Plans to Feature Remote Teleoperators, Says Deutsche Bank
The EV maker also flagged global risks in its April earnings report, noting that it may need to reassess its growth outlook in three months. “Changing political sentiment could have a meaningful impact on demand for our products in the near-term,” the company said at the time.
