Who Owns ‘Telepathy’?

Elon Musk's Neuralink, a company aiming to develop brain-computer interface technology, has faced a setback. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has rejected Neuralink's application for the trademark "Telepathy," stating that the term is too generic and descriptive to be registered as a trademark. The rejection is based on the USPTO's determination that the term "Telepathy" is a common term used to describe the ability to communicate through thought, without the use of traditional senses. The office argued that granting Neuralink exclusive rights to the term would unfairly limit others from using it to describe their own technologies or services related to the concept of telepathy. Neuralink has the option to respond to the USPTO's decision and provide further arguments to support its trademark application. However, the rejection highlights the challenges faced by companies attempting to claim ownership over broad, conceptual terms related to emerging technologies. The decision underscores the need for companies to carefully consider the language and terminology they use when protecting their intellectual property, especially in rapidly evolving fields like brain-computer interfaces.