A takeaway proprietor’s dreams of naming his new shop “Tesla Chicken & Pizza” were dashed when he faced a hefty bill of £12,000 following a trademark dispute with Elon Musk’s Tesla Inc.
Amanj Ali, 41, had registered the name as an homage to inventor Nikola Tesla in May 2020, initially without any objections. However, when lawyers representing Tesla learned of Ali’s trademark registration in the UK, they swiftly moved to protect their own trademark for food and beverage services in the country.
After a protracted legal battle, he found himself saddled with a significant financial penalty, totalling £12,000 in fines and legal fees.
Expressing his disappointment, Ali, who currently operates a single chicken shop in Market Street, Bury town center, lamented the outcome, stating he wouldn’t extend an invitation to Elon Musk to dine at his establishment.
He said, “I was so disappointed after all this. All I can say is it is just because a big company [took on] a small company, nothing else. When I lost it, I was kind of hurting, but I just tried to keep a secret and not tell it to anybody.
“It was 18 months that I had been fighting them… I couldn’t sometimes sleep properly, and at that time, it was kind of hard for me.”
Originally, Ali had applied for the trademark with hopes of opening a new takeaway business in Greater Manchester, intending for it to serve as a sister establishment to his existing chicken shop, Colorado’s. He envisioned Tesla Chicken & Pizza as a homage to Nikola Tesla, whose work had left a lasting impression on him since his youth.
While Ali’s trademark was successfully registered for food and beverage services, his plans for a new restaurant were postponed due to the pandemic. The situation escalated when he received notification from the UK’s Intellectual Property Office indicating that another party had applied for the Tesla trademark within the same category.
Upon discovering that Tesla Inc. was behind the competing application, Ali sought legal representation. Despite negotiations with Tesla’s representatives, which included an offer of £750 to relinquish his trademark rights, Ali rejected the proposal, expressing his reluctance to settle for such a nominal sum.
The dispute ultimately led to a ruling against Ali, who was ordered to pay £4,000 to Tesla Inc. and an additional £8,000 in legal fees.
Despite the setback, Ali harbours no ill will towards Elon Musk or Tesla, stating, “I’m the type of person that I don’t have any hate against anyone. I am too busy to hate people.”
[Image created via MidJourney]