Elon Musk might be facing some serious trouble in his quest to make Tesla Motors a global brand.
The CEO of the electric car company is facing a trademark dispute in China, one of the foreign markets he was hoping to break into, according to Bloomberg News.
Tesla began delivering Model S Sedans to China in April. That triggered a trademark suit from businessman Zhan Baosheng, who owns the trademark to the name in China.
Zhan wants Tesla to stop all marketing activities, and he is seeking around $3.9 million from the company. Zhan may face an uphill battle in winning his challenge though, as last year a Chinese regulator sided with Tesla regarding the trademark dispute.
Bloomberg notes that other companies, such as Apple and Burberry, have faced international trademark disputes in the past.
The latest development casts a pall over Tesla’s ambition to expand in the world’s biggest auto market.