Tesla has filed trademark applications for the term “Tesla Robotaxi,” after the company’s previous attempts to secure trademarks for its planned self-driving vehicle service hit roadblocks.
The company originally applied in October 2024 for the trademark of the words “Robotaxi” and “Cybercab.” The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) told the company last month it needed more detail in order to allow a trademark for “Robotaxi,” a term that is used by a number of other companies like Waymo, as TechCrunch first reported last month. The USPTO halted Tesla’s application for “Cybercab” outright due to the number of other companies trying to trademark various uses of the term “Cyber.”
Tesla submitted the three new applications for the more specific “Tesla Robotaxi” phrase as it looks to begin testing in Austin, Texas, later this month. It’s looking to attain the trademarks to be used in reference to Tesla’s planned autonomous ride-hailing service, the related mobile app, and the vehicles themselves.
It’s unlikely the applications will be reviewed in time for that test; trademark applications typically sit for months before they are assigned to an “examiner.”
Tesla also has applications pending for trademarks on the phrases “Robobus,” “Robus,” and “Cyberbus,” presumably for the van-like concept vehicle it showed off last October when it revealed the Cybercab prototype. During that event, CEO Elon Musk referred to that vehicle as the “Robovan.” But Estonian robotic delivery company Starship already owns a trademark for that term.
