Tesla Cybercab Robotaxi Threatened to Change Its Name Due to Trademark Issues

Tesla's Cybercab robot taxi. (Photo: Tesla)

JAKARTA - Despite employing a row of engineers and experts in various fields of the world's brightest, Tesla stumbled on a fundamental matter. Namely, the registration of a trademark in the name of Cybercab.

The electric car company from the United States launched the name Cybercab to the public, before ensuring that the legal rights of the name were safe. On October 10, 2024. Tesla itself held a global launch of the robotaxi they call Cybercab.

The car was introduced publicly and received widespread attention, but an important administrative step was left behind. Tesla only applied for a trademark registration for Cybercab to the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) on October 17, 2024, or a week after the official announcement.

The problem arose when the initial application was delayed, as reported by Caranddriver, Wednesday, January 7. The reason is that the name Cybercab is considered potentially confusing with the patent that Pirelli has already owned.

This gap was then taken advantage of by another party. The French beverage company, UniBev, moved quickly and filed for registration in the same name.

As a result, as of December 12, 2025, UniBev is listed as the holder of the Cybercab trademark rights, both in the United States and internationally. Tesla's official application documents show that the suspension letter was issued on November 14, 2025.

This means that no further steps were taken to push the brand towards Tesla ownership. This situation could actually have been avoided if Tesla secured the trademark before announcing the name of the Cybercab to the public.

Now, Tesla must also immediately make a decision on behalf of the name. By paying UniBev to regain the right to the name, or choosing a more complicated path by changing the name of the autonomous vehicle.

Although Tesla will almost certainly choose the first option, the lessons that remain are quite clear. If the company decides on the second option, one thing should be ensured first: administrative affairs must be resolved before the new name is announced to the world.