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Tesla’s ‘Robotaxi’ Trademark Rejected for Being Too Generic, Says TechCrunch

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The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has rejected Tesla’s application to trademark the term “Robotaxi” for its autonomous vehicles, ruling that the term is too generic, according to a report by TechCrunch on Wednesday.

Key Points:

  • The USPTO issued a nonfinal office action, giving Tesla three months to respond before the application is officially abandoned.

  • Tesla’s separate application to trademark “Robotaxi” for its upcoming ride-hailing service remains under review.

  • Tesla also attempted to trademark “Cybercab”, but that application is on hold due to conflicts with other trademark claims involving the prefix “Cyber”.

Implications for Tesla:

This development could complicate Tesla’s branding strategy for its upcoming autonomous ride-hailing service, which is slated to launch in Austin, Texas by June. The inability to secure exclusive rights to widely used industry terms may limit Tesla’s marketing and legal protection around these initiatives.

Context:

  • Tesla has been vocal about its ambitions to introduce “autonomous ride-hailing for money,” but the company has acknowledged that shifting global trade policies and political uncertainty may impact both its production and demand forecasts.

  • The term “robotaxi” is commonly used across the autonomous vehicle industry to describe self-driving cabs, making it difficult to claim proprietary ownership.

Amazon’s Zoox to Expand Robotaxi Production Ahead of U.S. Rollout, FT Reports

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Zoox, the self-driving vehicle subsidiary of Amazon, plans to scale up production in 2025 as it prepares for a broader commercial rollout of its robotaxi fleet across the U.S., according to a report by the Financial Times on Wednesday.

Co-founder Jesse Levinson said the company will open a new facility in California’s Bay Area, significantly expanding beyond its current production site in Fremont. The new location is expected to support Zoox’s goal of producing hundreds—eventually thousands—of custom-built robotaxis.

To date, Zoox has deployed about two dozen purpose-built autonomous vehicles across six U.S. cities. It plans to begin public ride services in Las Vegas this year, with San Francisco to follow.

The expansion comes amid a shift in federal regulatory attitudes toward self-driving technology, as the Trump administration recently signaled plans to ease some vehicle safety regulations and reduce mandatory incident reporting, in an effort to accelerate autonomous vehicle deployment.

Zoox joins a crowded field of competitors in the U.S. robotaxi market, including Tesla, Waymo (owned by Google’s parent Alphabet), and GM’s Cruise. All have faced regulatory scrutiny, with U.S. authorities investigating safety issues related to autonomous driving systems—including vehicles operated by Zoox.

Amazon’s Zoox Issues Software Recall After Self-Driving Robotaxi Crash in Las Vegas

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Zoox, the self-driving vehicle subsidiary of Amazon, has agreed to recall 270 autonomous vehicles following an April 8 crash in Las Vegas involving one of its unoccupied robotaxis and a passenger car. No injuries were reported, but the incident prompted a temporary suspension of operations and a subsequent software update to correct the issue.

According to Zoox, the crash occurred when the robotaxi misjudged a perpendicular vehicle’s behavior, incorrectly anticipating that the oncoming car would continue moving. Instead, the car stopped and yielded, but the Zoox vehicle had already slowed and shifted right, leading to a collision despite hard braking.

The company identified that the issue arises when its vehicles travel at over 40 mph (64 km/h) and encounter vehicles that slowly encroach from perpendicular driveways. The system’s failure to accurately predict the yielding vehicle’s stop was the root cause of the incident.

Zoox has since rolled out a software fix to prevent similar errors and stated that the vehicle behavior has been addressed. This marks the second recall in recent months: in April, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) closed a probe into 258 Zoox vehicles following two rear-end collisions caused by unexpected braking, after Zoox issued a software update.

However, Zoox remains under NHTSA scrutiny. The agency is still investigating the company’s 2022 self-certification of a robotaxi without traditional controls, such as a steering wheel or pedals.

The incident underscores ongoing regulatory and technical hurdles faced by autonomous vehicle developers as they approach broader deployment.