Welcome to TC's IP Corner® summer wrap-up edition. We are excited to share this quarterly newsletter with our clients, colleagues, and friends as we examine hot topics, interesting cases, and weird yet entertaining happenings in the world of intellectual property that occurred this summer.
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ROBO...NO? USPTO REFUSES TESLA'S TRADEMARK APPLICATION FOR ROBOTAXI
Every generation has eagerly awaited the car of the future – one that can fly, is self-driving, and can travel through time and space. As the decades roll on, we've only gotten as close as the cars on our favorite futuristic shows and movies – The Jetsons, Back to the Future, Knight Rider, Batman, etc. Tesla, Inc., a car manufacturer with big dreams and big ambitions, is one of the first to bring selfdriving cars to the people. Tesla launched its Robotaxi service this summer in Austin, Texas. The service allows users to schedule an autonomous ride for convenient point-to-point transportation. While the long anticipated self-driving cars have made it to the streets, the name ROBOTAXI has not yet made it to trademark registration.
In October 2024, Tesla applied to register ROBOTAXI as a word mark. On May 23, 2025, the ROBOTAXI word mark was refused for being generic (among other refusals), leaving Tesla to scramble as it neared its big launch. Within the week, TESLA filed new applications for ROBOTAXI design marks and TESLA ROBOTAXI word marks. Tesla filed multiple applications, each for a single class.
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