Issue No. 055 · Story 02 · September 18, 2026
TrademarkTesla and SpaceX Take Terafab Name Fight to Court
Tesla, SpaceX, and SpaceXAI filed a federal declaratory judgment action asking a Texas court to rule that their planned use of Terafab does not infringe TERA-print's registered TERA-FAB trademark.
- §TERA-print's existing registration covers specialized desktop equipment used to create microscopic patterns for research applications.
- §Tesla filed applications for TERAFAB and TESLA TERAFAB after announcing a chip manufacturing project under the name.
- §TERA-print sent a cease and desist letter and later threatened trademark and unfair competition claims.
- §The plaintiffs argue that the parties use the terms for different products and seek a declaration of noninfringement after settlement discussions ended.
THE TAKEAWAY
The dispute shows how a registered mark can become a barrier to a new project even when the parties describe different goods. The timing and scope of their trademark applications will shape the fight over how far the earlier registration reaches.
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