Tesla loses its 'Cybercab' trademark in awkward and easily avoidable situation that could pose major problem

After launching its automotive vehicles in 2025, Tesla has now accidentally lost its Cybercab trademark to a French beverage company in a huge blunder that was easily avoidable.

Back in 2016, Tesla founder Elon Musk had the vision of creating self-driving vehicles that would become a taxi service for the busiest cities in the world.

Three years later, the company revealed on Autonomy Day that it planned on building a Robotaxi, initially planning to have a standalone vehicle with five passenger seats and no steering wheel.

But having had this concept in the works for the better part of a decade, the Cybercab was announced last year, and it turned out that Tesla hadn’t trademarked the name. Now, it’s been snapped up by someone else.

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French beverage company snaps up Cybercab trademark before Tesla

With the development of the Cybercab supposedly in full flow, Tesla has made quite a mess of getting the right paperwork in order.

Back in November, it was reported that the company hadn’t applied for official approval from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for the autonomous vehicle.

It’s the same reason that the Robotaxi wasn’t allowed to be left alone in San Francisco and needed guided chaperones.

But if you thought lightning couldn’t strike thrice, you’d be mistaken, as it seems that the EV manufacturer has missed another massive piece of paperwork out of its Cybercab filings.

According to filings at the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), Tesla only applied for its Cybercab patent in November 2024, a month after it was announced.

In that time, Unibev, a French beverage company, filed a trademark claim for Cybercab.

Now, the USPTO has issued a suspension for the Cybercab to Tesla, stating that someone beat them to the punch.

What’s next for Tesla?

This is quite a common occurrence in the trademark office, with fewer names being left to think of, no matter the industry.

However, unless Unibev shows evidence that it wants to put the Cybercab trademark to good use in the vehicle industry, Tesla could take the case to court and claim that the French company is ‘squatting’.

The company has already taken the first steps in appealing the decision, as the suspension document revealed that the office had, ‘carefully considered the applicant’s arguments, but does not find them to be persuasive’.

If the matter cannot be settled in court, the only other option is to buy it.

With more vehicles in the pipeline at Tesla, the company has been hot on the trademark front elsewhere, revealing that a Cybercatamaran is on the way.

It’s a catch-22, as the patent filings often leak news of a car’s development, such as the new features that the Roadster 2.0 boasts, but it seems Tesla would be better off safe than sorry.

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