Tesla keeps hitting robotaxi roadblocks

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office rebuffed Tesla's application to trademark the term "robotaxi"

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One of the most important branding decisions a company can make about its product is the name. It needs to be catchy and descriptive. But when trademarking, it also can’t be “generic,” according to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, which rebuffed Tesla’s (TSLA) application to trademark the term “robotaxi” for its planned ride-hailing service.

According to TechCrunch, Tesla has also tried to trademark “Cybercab,” but that has also been dismissed as being too generic.

Tesla also submitted two similar trademark applications on October 10 for the term “Robobus,” which are still under examination.

Here are some other robotaxi companies, all of which have successfully navigated the name game.

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Waymo

Way-to-go Waymo (GOOGL), your names were approved. Alphabet’s Waymo has a laundry list of approved trademarks, including:

WAYMO
WAYMO DRIVER
WAYMO ONE
WAYMO VIA
WAYMO OPEN
WAYMO RIDER SUPPORT
LASER BEAR
LASER BEAR HONEYCOMB
WAYMOBILE

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Zoox

Amazon’s pawn in the driverless car space, Zoox (AMZN), plans to fully roll these self-driving cabs out in Las Vegas this year, the brand says:

“Spend your time on what you care about and let Zoox handle the traffic as you enjoy a smooth ride in a spacious cabin.”

Of its trademark, Zoox warns: “You may not use the Marks to disparage Zoox or any Zoox affiliate, their products or services, or in a manner which, in Zoox’s sole discretion, may diminish or otherwise damage or tarnish Zoox’s goodwill in the Marks, including, for example, use with other marks.”

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Mobileye

Mobileye (INTC) Global is a company developing autonomous driving technologies and advanced driver-assistance systems.

Mobileye is backed by Intel. Intel reaffirmed its commitment to Mobileye in a statement last September:

“We currently do not have any plans to divest a majority interest in the company. By providing Mobileye with separation and autonomy, we have enhanced its ability to capitalize on growth opportunities and accelerate its path to creating even greater value. We believe in the future of autonomous driving technology and in Mobileye’s unique role as a leader in the development and deployment of advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS).”

Mobileye was successfully trademarked and the company offers a long list of trademark warnings, among them:

“Do not use or combine Mobileye Trademarks, or elements of Mobileye logo Trademarks, with your own name or mark, or images”
“Do not use any Mobileye Trademarks as a verb.”
“Do not pluralize Mobileye Trademarks.”

Best to keep your mobileyes peeled for misuse!

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Pony.Ai

Pony.ai is a Chinese-based autonomous car maker.

Its name is trademarked, but it took awhile. The first application was filed in 2019, but it wasn’t until February 5, 2025 that it was approved. The name is now protected.

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