In the everlastingly theatrical world of Elon Musk, where rockets return to earth and humans are headed to Mars, one should hardly be shocked that even the term “Robotaxi” is now battling for intellectual property rights. Tesla’s latest attempt to trademark “Tesla Robotaxi” is not so much about the naming of a future vehicle but about staking an absolute claim in the autonomy game. It’s as if attempting to trademark “time machine” before someone actually invents one, but if anyone’s brave enough to give it a shot, it’s Musk. With regulators displaying red flags and competitors populating the EV, Tesla’s branding journey is starting to resemble as exciting (and curvaceous) as its autonomous test drives.

After running into a legal speed bump in its bid to brand its next-generation autonomous taxi service, the EV behemoth has submitted three new trademark applications for the phrase “Tesla Robotaxi.” The filings come after a failed effort late last year to get federal officials to approve more generic names such as “Robotaxi” and “Cybercab.” With federal authorities snubbing those more general names, Tesla seems to be targeting its focus and its marketing.

Robotaxi and Cybercab

In October 2024, Tesla filed to trademark both “Robotaxi” and “Cybercab” in anticipation of launching a self-driving ride-hailing service officially, but the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) flagged some issues. For “Robotaxi,” the problem was not that it wasn’t original; the term is already used by several other firms, including Waymo, to refer to their own autonomous taxi programs. So, the USPTO requested more precision. While the request for “Cybercab” was simply dropped, since several companies already made the market overflooded with “Cyber” labelled mobility ideas, leaving a busy trademark arena.

Specific Approach to Tesla Robotaxi

Now, Tesla is being clever by applying trademarks on the entire string “Tesla Robotaxi.” This more unique nomenclature has a greater likelihood of passing legal objections, as it directly relates to the company’s current brand identity. The new applications include not only the autonomous cars themselves, but also the mobile app and vehicle service infrastructure related to them. The business has confirmed it will start testing in Austin, Texas, later this month, indicating that it’s proceeding operationally, even while it is working through trademark setbacks.

Trademarks Take Months

As with most intellectual property filings, timing isn’t necessarily on Tesla’s side. Trademarks normally take months to be reviewed, assigned to an examiner, and approved or rejected. That leaves the new “Tesla Robotaxi” filings not likely to be approved before the Austin trials commence. Nevertheless, submitting the applications now may provide Tesla with a legal advantage as it prepares for wider expansion and the public debut of what could prove to be an important source of revenue for its autonomy strategy.

Cyberbus, Robovans, and Beyond

Conveniently, this is not Tesla’s first try at obtaining futuristic-sounding IP. Tesla also has forthcoming applications for the names “Robobus,” “Robus,” and  “Cyberbus,” all of which are thought to refer to a van-type prototype revealed at the October 2024 event when the “Cybercab” concept was unveiled. CEO Elon Musk called that bigger vehicle the “Robovan”, but here’s the problem. That brand name is already owned by Estonian delivery firm Starship, the latest legal wrench tossed into Tesla’s branding works.

Autonomous Services Remain Core to Tesla’s Strategy

While such trademark wars might look insignificant in the grand scheme, they’re central to Tesla’s long-term plan. Elon Musk has long been promoting the vision of entirely autonomous ride-hailing fleets as a central aspect of Tesla’s future, one that could one day surpass the company’s existing vehicle sales business in revenue and profit. With the firm still committing significant capital to Full Self-Driving (FSD) tech and supporting infrastructure, the drive for clean, marketable branding such as “Tesla Robotaxi” is worth so much more. It’s about ownership, positioning, and identity in an increasingly transformative mobility environment.

Tesla’s enthusiasm in seeking trademark validity in “Tesla Robotaxi” serves to highlight an underlying story, which is the shift from an electric vehicle firm to a mobility empire. It’s not semantics, it’s a strategy. Musk understands that the brand, like the battery, energizes the car. With a future moving at breakneck speeds toward autonomous mobility, controlling the language of that future is important. Even if the USPTO doesn’t play ball, Tesla is already dictating public understanding. While others are running robotaxis in a few test markets, Tesla is naming the category. That’s not branding, it’s a strategic assertion of leadership in a market that hasn’t yet fully come into being. If Tesla’s gamble on autonomy pays off, the term “Tesla Robotaxi” won’t be a trademark; it’ll be an entity ruling the autonomous services.