In the world of high-stakes tech, a few weeks can be the difference between a global brand and a legal headache. Elon Musk’s Tesla is currently discovering this the hard way as it battles to secure the trademark for its highly anticipated autonomous vehicle, the “Cybercab.” According to reports surfacing early this month, Tesla has effectively “lost” the primary trademark for the name due to a critical administrative oversight and a persistent challenge from a French beverage company.
Elon Musk missed “Cybercab” trademark opportunity
A recent report by Unilad Tech stated that Elon Musk’s Tesla missed the “cybercab” trademark to a prior claim made by Unibev, a French company. The conflict stems from a surprising gap between Tesla’s public marketing and its legal filings. While the two-seater, pedal-less Cybercab was the star of the “We, Robot” event on October 10, 2024, the company didn’t actually file for the trademark until November.
This delay allowed Unibev, a French beverage firm, to swoop in. Using international priority rules, Unibev filed its own U.S. application on October 28, 2024, claiming a “placeholder” date from a prior filing in France. On November 14, 2025, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issued a suspension notice to Tesla, citing a “likelihood of confusion” with Unibev’s prior claim.
This isn’t the first time Unibev has crossed paths with the electric vehicle giant. The company has a bit of a history with Tesla, having previously secured the trademark for “TESLAQUILA”—the name Musk famously wanted for Tesla’s branded spirits before being forced to pivot to the generic “Tesla Tequila.” Now, Tesla is faced with a familiar and frustrating choice: engage in a years-long legal battle to prove Unibev has no intention of making cars, or pay what will likely be a massive settlement to buy the name back.
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The trademark drama has already forced a scramble inside Tesla. During a Q4 2025 earnings call, Musk admitted to the confusion, noting that some states—including California and Texas—actually have strict regulations regarding the words “cab” or “taxi” for autonomous vehicles. “In some states, we’re not allowed to use the word cab,” Musk remarked.
The Tesla CEO’s words suggested the vehicle might be given a more utilitarian name. In a rapid-fire response to these hurdles, Tesla’s legal team filed two new trademark applications—”Cybercar” and “Cybervehicle”—within just 37 seconds of each other in late January this year.
This setback follows another defeat for Tesla regarding the term “Robotaxi.” The USPTO recently rejected that application as well, ruling it was “merely descriptive” and too generic for any one company to own—similar to how a company couldn’t trademark the word “shampoo” for a hair product.
As Musk pushes Tesla toward an “autonomous-first” future—even taking the controversial step in January this year to begin phasing out the Model S and Model X to make room for robots—the battle for the “Cyber” brand highlights a rare moment of human error in a multi-trillion-dollar empire. For now, the car without a steering wheel is also a car without a definitive legal name.
