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Tesla Seeks 'Tesla Robotaxi' And 'Robobus' Trademarks Ignoring Prior Art
Tesla has once again tried to acquire the 'robotaxi' trademark after trying before with 'cybercab' (See CyberCab - Tesla Renames The Robotaxi).
However, the word 'robotaxi' was first used by science fiction writer Joe Gibson in Dugal was a Spaceman, published in 1953. So there is some prior art.
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.
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.
(Via TechCrunch.)
However, busy science fiction writers have been hard at work coining words for robotic transportation for decades. Gordon R. Dickson coined the term "robobus" in a 1957 short story Robots are Nice?:
A robobus had just rolled up to the curb. It was one of the smallest— a three-seater...
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.”
"May I be of service?"
(Read more about robobuses)
Scroll down for more stories in the same category. (Story submitted 5/23/2025)
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