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Tesla applies for 3 more ‘Model 3’ trademarks

A week before its official unveiling, Tesla filed its first application for a Model 3 related trademark and it is now under review. The automaker described the mark in its application:

“The mark consists of three equal length horizontal stylized lines in the manner of a horizontal stylized roman numeral III.”

Now we learn through applications published this week that Tesla applied for three more Model 3 related trademarks.

The first new trademark is for “Automobiles and structural parts”, like the first one, but instead of simply consisting of the three horizontal stylized lines, it also includes the word “MODEL”.

Tesla also applied for two new trade marks for apparels:

“Articles of clothing, namely, t-shirts, shirts, jackets, gloves, scarves, hats; headgear, namely, sports hats, caps, sun visors; hats for infants, babies, toddlers and children; infant and toddler one piece clothing; infant wear”

The trademarks for apparels include both the three horizontal stylized lines alone and with the word “Model”. It could mean that Tesla will soon start selling some Model 3 apparels on its Tesla Gear website and in store.

As we discussed last time the subject of a Model 3 trademark came up, the story behind the name is interesting. Since 2013, Tesla officials have been referring to the company’s upcoming third generation vehicle as the “Model E”, which would have joined the models S and X in Tesla’s lineup to make “S-E-X” with the Model Y to follow later.

The name stuck for a while, but during the shareholders meeting in July 2014, Tesla CEO Elon Musk revealed that the company had to drop its “Model E” trademark after Ford threatened to sue over having a similar naming scheme. At the time, Musk said that “Ford tried to kill sex.”

Since then, Tesla has been referring to the upcoming third generation vehicle as the “Model 3”, but Tesla is clearly trying to keep “SEX” alive with this three horizontal lines workaround.

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Comments

  1. serge b - 9 years ago

    Looks even better than at the reveal. What a good looking car. Tesla has zero competion their in a leaque of their own.

  2. Lee - 9 years ago

    I have no idea how trademark (or patent) law works, but couldn’t a private citizen applied for these trademarks after seeing them during the unveil, but before Tesla submitted their application? If so, why didn’t Tesla appy a long time ago?

    • Julien Gélinas - 9 years ago

      To have a trademark approved, you have to prove that you are the original owner, which would not be the case for a private citizen regarding Model 3. Plus it’s mentioned in the article that they filed their request before the unveiling.

      But otherwise yes. Like internet domains, it happened in the past where a particular bought a trademark way before and the company had to buy it from him.

  3. Al - 9 years ago

    Glad to see the new “Model” is sans-serif and not the dated looking serif style of the Model S and Model X. I feel the badge lets the current cars down a bit.

    • aarond12 - 9 years ago

      Interesting that the typeface used is VERY similar to electrek’s use of the Questrial font… Just small caps and horizontally stretched.

  4. Adolfo - 9 years ago

    Can we nix the four doors for two extra wide falcon doors on the model 3? Should be standard for all Teslas. When open they make a T shape like the Tesla logo, they look much better than the old 100 year old regular style doors, and if it’s standard on all tesla’ the doors themselves should become cheaper to produce and will be immediately visible from afar in any parking lot.

    • aarond12 - 9 years ago

      No. The Model ≡ does NOT need any more delays, a’la Model X. Even at this point my Model ≡ should be built in 2020. I would rather not wait longer than that if possible.

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Avatar for Fred Lambert Fred Lambert

Fred is the Editor in Chief and Main Writer at Electrek.

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