"Why Use Our Name"... Tesla Sues Indian Battery Company 'Tesla Power'

Trademark Use Prohibition and Damage Compensation Lawsuit
Tesla Power "We Entered India First"

American electric vehicle company Tesla has filed a lawsuit in an Indian court against an Indian battery manufacturer, alleging trademark infringement. The battery company is using the name 'Tesla Power India (Tesla Power),' which Tesla claims infringes on its trademark rights.

According to major foreign media, the Delhi High Court announced on its website on the 3rd (local time) that Tesla recently filed a lawsuit seeking to prohibit the use of the trademark and claim damages, stating that an unrelated company is operating under the name Tesla Power.

Tesla stated during a recent court hearing that it had notified Tesla Power in April 2022 not to use the Tesla name, but since they did not comply, Tesla filed the lawsuit.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

In contrast, Tesla Power claims that they are a company manufacturing lead-acid batteries with no intention of producing electric vehicles and have no intention of deceiving customers by using the Tesla name.

Tesla Power told a foreign media outlet that they entered India before Elon Musk's Tesla and received approval from the Indian government, asserting that they never claimed any association with Musk's Tesla.

According to Tesla Power's website, the company has corporations under the names 'Tesla Power USA' and 'Tesla Power India' in Delaware, USA, Gurugram, India, and Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE), and they self-praise as a battery pioneer and leader with a "very strong presence" in India.

The lawsuit was filed after Musk recently postponed his visit to India. Musk was originally scheduled to visit India on the 21st of last month to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi but postponed the visit to the end of the year two days before, citing an important mission. However, Musk visited China on the 28th of the same month to lay the groundwork for introducing the Full Self-Driving (FSD) feature in China. Indian media criticized Musk for choosing China over India.

Tesla was founded in the United States in 2003, named after Nikola Tesla, a Serbian-born electrical engineer and inventor.