Neuralink’s Bid to Trademark ‘Telepathy’ and ‘Telekinesis’ Faces Legal Issues

Neuralink, the brain implant company co-founded by Elon Musk, has encountered legal challenges in its attempt to trademark the terms "Telepathy" and "Telekinesis." The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) rejected Neuralink’s applications due to prior filings by Wesley Berry, a computer scientist and co-founder of tech startup Prophetic, who submitted trademark applications for "Telepathy" in May 2023 and "Telekinesis" in August 2024. Berry’s applications, filed as “intent-to-use,” describe software analyzing EEG data to decode internal dialogue for device control, though he has not yet commercialized products under these names. Additionally, the USPTO cited an existing trademark for Telepathy Labs, a company offering voice and chatbot technology, in its refusal to advance Neuralink’s application for "Telepathy." Neuralink has been using the name "Telepathy" for its brain implant product designed to enable paralyzed individuals to operate phones and computers via thought.