Vacuum Maker Dyson Files Trademark Application Covering "Driverless Cars"

On September 26th, reports surfaced that Dyson Technology Limited, best known for its high-end vacuums, would be building an electronic car by 2020. By that time, the United Kingdom-based company had already filed a United States trademark application covering car-related goods and services, which may provide some further insight into its plans.

On September 25th, Dyson Technology Limited filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office a trademark application for DYSON (standard characters) covering not only "electronic cars," but also "driverless cars," "autonomous vehicles," "driverless transporter vehicles," and "motorcycles" (initial reports did not seem to mention driverless cars, although I may have missed it). 

Some of the other goods and services covered by this application include:

• All-terrain vehicles;
• A variety of parts and fittings for land vehicles (chassis, bumpers, transmission systems, etc.);
• Business consultancy services and business management advisory services, relating to the distribution, sale, maintenance, restoration and repair of motor vehicles and their parts and fittings;
• Distributorship services and retail store services relating to motor vehicles and parts; and
• Maintenance, repair, servicing, reconditioning, restoration, inspection, care, cleaning, painting and polishing of motor vehicles.

Dyson filed this application on an intent-to-use basis, which indicates it is not using DYSON in conjunction with these goods and services yet but has a bona fide intention to do so in the near future (which makes sense, considering it does not plan to fully develop these vehicles until at least 2020). TMEP 806.01(b); 15 USC 1051(b).

According to my quick search, this is the first automobile-related trademark application filed by Dyson Technology Limited in the United States (although the company owns 77 other active trademark registrations or application covering a variety of other goods and services).