In what comes as a heavy blow to Tesla fully autonomous driving capabilities, the trademark “Robotaxi” has been declined. The American EV maker has been using this name to refer to its long-promised self-driving vehicles. A near-production prototype of the same broke cover in October last year.
According to a recent report by TechCrunch, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has denied the use of “Robotaxi” as a trademark for its upcoming fully self-driving vehicles. The report says that USPTO found the name “too generic” for a trademark.
Tesla “Robotaxi” trademark pangs
The Elon Musk-led company has filed another “Robotaxi” trademark for its upcoming ride hailing services, which is under examination by the office. Meanwhile, trademark applications for the name “Cybercab” have been paused due to conflicts with other companies seeking similar “Cyber”-themed trademarks, according to TechCrunch.
In April, Tesla confirmed that its plan to launch an “autonomous ride-hailing for money” service in Austin, Texas, by June is still on schedule. However, the company also noted it would revisit its growth outlook in three months, citing uncertainty around the impact of evolving global trade policies on the automotive and energy sectors.
The fact that the decision is not final means Tesla can appeal the decision. Tesla has already missed far too many deadlines for the market launch of the fully self driving technology. The latest development can prove to be another speed breaker.
Initially, the term “Robotaxi” referred to Tesla’s existing consumer vehicles—Model S, Model X, Model 3, Model Y, and the Cybertruck—once they were expected to achieve full self-driving capabilities. This milestone has been repeatedly promised by the company to be reached by the end of each of the past six years.
