If there’s one thing that’s become clear over the past few years, it’s that Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s level of disregard for the rules would give Walter Sobchak a coronary. It should come as no surprise then that his latest head-scratcher of an idea, the Tesla-branded tequila Teslaquila, is raising some eyebrows in Mexico, Reuters reported Monday. Musk’s latest venture has ruffled the feathers of Mexico’s Tequila Regulatory Council (CRT), the body that determines what can and cannot be called tequila. The rules concern things like how and where it’s made, and according to the CRT, the name “Teslaquila” might confuse buyers. Specifically, the CRT mandates that in order for a product to be called tequila, it must be explicitly made from “Agave Tequila Weber Blue Variety” in the regions of Guanajuato, Jalisco, Michoacan, Nayarit or Tamaulipas. It’s unclear whether Musk would adhere to those requirements at all, or get a certified and recognized tequila maker in one of those areas to produce the spirit for Teslaquila. Reuters also pointed out that there has been a request for a trademark filed in the US, Mexico, Jamaica and Europe for Teslaquila as a “pure agave liquor” and “blue agave liquor.” “If it wants to make Teslaquila viable as a tequila it would have to associate itself with an authorized tequila producer, comply with certain standards and request authorization from Mexico’s Industrial Property Institute,” a CRT spokesperson said in a statement. “Otherwise it would be making unauthorized use of the denomination of origin… [Read full story]
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