Elon Musk's Tesla, Inc. Files Application to Register TESLAQUILA as a Trademark for Tequila

Electric cars, rockets, and now...tequila? Maybe, according to a recent federal trademark application filed by Elon Musk's Tesla, Inc.

On October 8, Tesla, Inc. filed an application with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to register TESLAQUILA as a trademark for "[d]istilled agave liquor; [d]istilled blue agave liquor" in Class 33. Or, in other words, tequila (although "tequila" cannot be listed in the application because it is a registered certification mark, as described in an INTA article I recently wrote accessible here).

The intent-to-use filing basis of the application suggests that Tesla is not using TESLAQUILA as a trademark for "distilled agave liquor" or "distilled blue agave liquor" yet, but has a bona fide intention to do so in the near future. See TMEP 806.01(b); 15 USC 1051(b). Interestingly, Tesla filed an application for this same mark in Jamaica back on April 10, 2018 and is asserting a U.S. priority date based on that foreign application under Section 44(d) of the Trademark Act. See also TMEP 1003 et seq.

Tesla fans - while this doesn't guarantee Tesla will be releasing a tequila in the near future, you might want to keep your eyes open. Tesla is not required to start selling TESLAQUILA tequila simply because it filed a federal trademark application, but in order to file the application on an intent-to-use basis, it is required to have a bona fide intention to use the trademark in conjunction with the listed goods in the near future. Generally, there should be documentary evidence to back up this bona fide intention (such as a business plan, contracts with manufacturers, etc.). A mere idea, without more, won't cut it.

While Tesla, Inc. currently owns 54 active trademark applications or registrations with the USPTO, somewhat surprisingly, this is the first federal trademark application filed by the company in 2018. The last federal trademark applications Tesla filed were on November 29, 2017 when it filed two applications for MEGACHARGER, one of which covered battery chargers for electric vehicles and the other charging station services.