By Frank Kamuntu
Long-dead electrical engineer Nikola Tesla didn’t get a say in the matter when Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning decided to name their fledgling electric car company after him in 2003. But now Tesla the automaker has filed a lawsuit to stop an Indian battery company from using that same name.
Tesla Inc, the US-based automaker, was in court in New Dehli, India this week to ask for damages and an injunction against Tesla Power India, a local firm that makes batteries. The car brand’s legal team told the judge that the Indian company had continued to use the Tesla name in advertisements for its battery products despite the car crew sending a cease-and-desist notice in April 2022.
Tesla Power’s attorneys told the court that the firm made simple lead acid batteries – which is stone-age tech compared with what’s used in Tesla’s cars and energy storage products – and that it had no plans to build electric cars. But looking at the company’s website reveals prominent “Telsa Power USA” branding and a clear mention of the company’s HQ being in Delaware, the very same state where Tesla Inc is incorporated.
The judge gave the Indian company three weeks to submit written responses in its defence following its submission of various documents that backed up its right to use the name. He also prohibited Tesla Power from publishing any promotional material containing a trademark like the one owned by Tesla Inc until the next hearing on May 22.
The court case is playing out in India not long after Tesla CEO Elon Muk blew out Prime Minister Narendra Modi causing the EV firm’s name to hot the headlines. The pair were due to meet during Musk’s scheduled trip to India on April 21 to discuss projects in the country, but the Telsa boss cancelled the trip, opting to travel to China for a chat with Chinese Premier Li Quang. That chat proved worth the effort because Tesla gained the right to offer its Full Self-Driving autonomous tech to Tesla EV buyers.
