By Becky Peterson
Tesla has made a pitch for a radical new era of "amazing abundance" in which its driverless Cybercabs ferry people around town while humanoid robots do most of the work.
The biggest hurdles, it seemed, were technological. That is, until a tiny French beverage wholesaler joined the conversation.
Tesla is in a legal battle against an obscure drink wholesaler called Unibev that has claimed the rights to the term "Cybercab." The fight coincides with the launch of Tesla's Cybercab, which is seen as key to the company's autonomous vehicle and robotics ambitions. If the case drags on, Tesla's ability to market the Cybercab internationally could be curtailed.
In a 167-page filing with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, Tesla described its adversary as "a bad-faith trademark squatter, who started as a Tesla fan," and described the French company's attempt to trademark the Cybercab moniker as fraudulent.
Unibev's co-owner, a Corsican resident named Jean-Louis Lentali, is a regular on Tesla's quarterly earnings calls, and often comments on Chief Executive Elon Musk's posts on X, according to the filing. In recent years, Lentali has congratulated Musk on company news, and even invited him to the French island to eat "local fish and spiny lobster."
There is no indication that Unibev, based in the scenic island capital of Ajaccio, has ever made a vehicle before. In its trademark application, however, it said it aims to use the name "Cybercab" for its own vehicle, possibly a car, boat or plane.
"It seems likely that they are doing it to troll Tesla," said Jessica Litman, a professor of trademark law at the University of Michigan, who thinks Tesla has a strong case to win the trademark back if it can prove that Unibev hasn't made a car.
The companies are preparing to go to trial before the Patent Office, which could make a decision as late as 2027.
If the matter takes that long to resolve, it could leave Tesla in a trademark limbo at a sensitive time.
Tesla plans to start production on the Cybercab in April and could start selling the vehicle by the end of the year. Litman said the company can still sell its product in the U.S. without the trademark, but Unibev's claim could make an international launch more challenging, and that might motivate Tesla to try to find a way to buy the trademark rights.
"The bottom line is this makes some legal headaches," Litman said. "The legal headaches might be annoying enough that Tesla might want to buy the other company off."
Representatives for Tesla didn't respond to requests for comment. Anthony Lupo, Tesla's outside counsel on the dispute, declined to comment through a representative. Unibev's U.S. attorney didn't respond to requests for comment, nor did people listed as the company's directors.
At the heart of the dispute is when Tesla filed a trademark claim for the Cybercab.
"We will be showcasing our purpose-built robotaxi or cybercab in August, " Musk said during an earnings call on April 23, 2024, his first public use of the term. Six days later, Lentali filed his application in France to trademark the Cybercab name. Tesla didn't file its trademark application in the U.S. for another six months, shortly after it unveiled the vehicle in October 2024.
Months later, in April 2025, the Patent Office told Tesla that its application was suspended because Unibev's French application from April gave it priority under international trademark law.
Unibev was already well-known as a thorn in the side of Tesla's trademark lawyers. The beverage company had been granted more than two dozen trademarks around the world for phrases that appeared connected to Tesla and Musk, such as "Cyber Diner" and "With a Touch of Musk."
The companies are scheduled to make their cases to the Patent Office over the next few months. If Unibev wins its case, Tesla can either negotiate with the beverage company to use the name outside of the U.S. or change the name of its new vehicle in international markets. If Unibev loses, Tesla can move ahead with its plans. The automaker has made no indication that it intends to change the Cybercab name.
A few years before the Cybercab applications, Unibev had managed to wrangle another trademark out from under Tesla for a novelty beverage called Teslaquila. It used the name to sell a beer with a label featuring an image of the inventor Nikola Tesla.
Lentali didn't hesitate to bring his legal victory to Musk's attention.
We "will be happy to welcome you at Ajaccio with a fresh Teslaquila Original Gold," Lentali wrote to Musk on X at the time. "Have a nice day."
Write to becky.peterson@wsj.com.
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
March 16, 2026 12:00 ET (16:00 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2026 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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