A French beverage company could derail Tesla’s ‘Cybercab’ name

Elon Musk and Tesla want to call their autonomous robotaxi service Cybercabs, a name that would seem to fit snugly with the company’s line of “Cyber” products. But an obscure French beverage wholesaler, run by someone who appears to be a devoted Musk fan, could ruin those plans. UniBev, based in Ajaccio, France, beat Tesla to filing for the trademark for Cybercab. Last week, Musk’s company struck back, filing a 167-page complaint with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office that called UniBev “a bad faith trademark squatter, who started as a Tesla fan.” UniBev has until April 19 to respond to the complaint. Should the issue go to trial, a decision could be delayed until 2027. That would put Tesla in a bind, since it expects to begin production on the vehicles in April, with sales planned to launch before the end of the year. Tesla has also submitted trademark filings for “Cybercar” and “Cybervehicle,” which could allow it to bypa