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The United States Patent and Trademark Office has recently denied Tesla’s application to trademark the term “Robotaxi,” citing that the word is considered generic and is widely used across the industry.
At present, Tesla is not the only company to employ the term “Robotaxi” in public communications—other players such as Waymo and Uber have also used the same or similar terminology to describe their paid autonomous vehicle ride services. As such, if Tesla wishes to secure exclusive rights to the “Robotaxi” trademark, it must present a more compelling argument to the USPTO.
This implies that Tesla must demonstrate a distinct and original application of the term within its products or services—one that clearly differentiates it from usage by other companies. Without such a distinction, “Robotaxi” may only be recognized as a generic descriptor, not as a proprietary trademark.
Nonetheless, rather than focusing solely on trademark registration, Tesla’s greater challenge lies in the timeline for bringing its autonomous ride-hailing service to market—a critical step if it hopes to compete with established players like Waymo and Uber.
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