Elon Musk got a ‘no’ from Mexico: the country didn’t let him use ‘Teslaquila’ in his product and had to call it ‘Tequila Tesla’

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Elon Musk presented his Tesla Tequila at the beginning of November in a bottle in the shape of a lightning bolt that sells through his page for $ 250 and is currently sold out.

The drink consists of a 100% agave aged tequila with light hints of dried fruit, vanilla, cinnamon and pepper. According to the portal, it was produced by Nosotros Tequila, a California-based company that sources its agave in Jalisco, one of the Mexican states qualified to manufacture it.

In 2018, Musk announced that he was working at a tequila, but he did it as an April Fool’s Day joke. 

At the time, Musk called it Teslaquila, but that name couldn’t make it to the final product due to industry regulations.

The “no” to the name

The word tequila is a denomination of origin, which means that the rights to use this word belong solely to the tequila agribusiness. That also means that no one can register the word as property for a trademark.

According to the Tequila Regulatory Council (CRT) the problem with the name Teslaquila is that it is very similar to tequila. The body, in charge of regulating and authorizing the processes related to the manufacture, consumption, and commercialization of the drink, assured that the use of that name could cause confusion and therefore opposed the use of the brand.

Martín Muñoz, head of the CRT, says that the organization presented its objection to Musk’s original name and, a few months later, the Mexican Institute of Industrial Property (IMPI) resolved that the name could not be registered due to the proximity to that of denomination of origin.

The designation of origin comes from 1974

Since then, Mexico has signed agreements with 46 different countries with the intention that Tequila is distinguished as a drink of Mexico. Among the agreements is the now expired Free Trade Agreement with the United States and Canada.

Tequila Tesla Mexico Elon Musk

Today the tequila industry has someone as important as Elon Musk representing it. This is undoubtedly a benefit for all tequila producers because it is giving its image as an important businessman and is showing that it wants to comply with the rules of this industry. We welcome Elon Musk and the Tesla tequila brand.

Finally, in February of this year, Elon Musk and his company chose to call the drink Tesla Tequila and made the registration in both Mexico and the United States, according to The Verge.

Although customers could only purchase a maximum of two bottles of Elon Musk’s tequila since it could only be purchased in some entities in the United States, the stock of the drink ran out within hours of being available and it is still not clear it will be restocked.

Source: xataka.com.mx

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