News Summary

Neuralink, the brain implant company co-founded by Elon Musk, faces legal challenges in its attempt to trademark the product names ‘Telepathy’ and ‘Telekinesis’. The United States Patent and Trademark Office has rejected Neuralink’s applications, citing prior applications by Wesley Berry, a computer scientist and co-founder of the tech startup Prophetic. Berry’s applications were filed in May 2023 for ‘Telepathy’ and in August 2024 for ‘Telekinesis’, predating Neuralink’s March filings. Although Berry has not yet commercialized products under these names, his applications describe software that decodes EEG data to control devices. Berry’s trademarks have not been fully registered and he has three years to use them commercially, at which point Neuralink’s application might take precedence if Berry does not act. The trademark office’s decision is not final, and Neuralink has responded by addressing potential confusion with Telepathy Labs, another company with similar trademarks. The outcome remains uncertain, but Berry currently holds the advantage in this trademark dispute.