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Lucid Motors is at risk of losing the earmark for the name of its Gravity SUV , just month before the troupe is supposed to take up production .
Google Ventures - backed EV charge company Gravity Inc.fileda “ petition for cancellation ” with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office ’s Trademark Trial and Appeal Board ( TTAB ) in December asking for Lucid ’s Gravity trademark to be revoked . The startup arrogate in the orison that Lucid ’s use of the Gravity name could confuse consumers , since Gravity Inc. uses it for EV charging and has used it in the past to operate a fleet of EV taxis .
The challenge comes at a time when Lucid is fight to drum up customers , putting increase press on the Gravity SUV to succeed when it rolls off the line of work at the ending of this year . The companylost$2.8 billion in 2023 and is only project to make around 9,000 cars in 2024 after once predicting it would make 10 time that .
Lucid has disputed the orison , but late warned investors in itsannual filingwith the Securities and Exchange Commission that “ [ s]uch oppositions and challenge can be expensive and may adversely affect our ability to maintain the good will gain in connection with a particular earmark . ” A interpreter for Lucid declined to comment beyond what ’s in the filings with the TTAB .
“ We palpate very , very surefooted about it , ” Moshe Cohen , Gravity Inc. ’s CEO , said of the petition in an audience with TechCrunch .
Gravity Inc. has spent the last few years work on design and build advanced tight - charge station for electric vehicles , and launched its first flagship location in New York City last hebdomad . It also began operating a fleet of electric taxis in the city in tardy 2021 as part of Taxi and a Limousine Commission ( TLC ) pilot light platform , using a Mustang Mach - E and Tesla Model Y SUV .
The inauguration received its hallmark for the use of the parole Gravity in 2017 , in relation to “ transferral table service , namely , charter machine transport ; passenger transport ; taxi and limousine conveyance ” and “ computer software and downloadable software in the nature of a peregrine app for organize transportation services , namely , software for the automatise scheduling and expedition of motorized vehicles . ”
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The TLC cowcatcher program ended in 2023 , though . A TLC spokesperson tell TechCrunch that one of Gravity ’s taxi is still participating in its system .
Lucid , in itsanswerto the petition filed last week , tell that Gravity does not presently operate an EV fleet and argues that consumers would not be confused by the two different uses of the Gravity name .
“ [ T]he offer for sale of electrically powered automobiles is altogether distinct from [ Gravity Inc. ’s ] alleged provision of hired - car transport , passenger transport , and taxi and limousinetransport services , and related to transportation offerings , to such a academic degree that consumers are not likely to believe that [ Gravity Inc. ’s ] and [ Lucid ’s ] goods and/or services are get in touch , ” Lucid says in its response . “ Moreover , upon information and belief , [ Gravity Inc. ] ceased use of the GRAVITY sign for DoT and transportation - link up help before the filing of this petition . ”
To that end , Lucid also filed a counterclaim with the purpose of adjudicate to push Gravity Inc. to give up its trademark because it abandoned the fleet business . “ [ Lucid ] believe that it is being and will continue to be damaged by [ Gravity Inc. ’s ] registration , ” the company writes .
