Tesla sues Tesla but there's a twist

Tech billionaire and CEO of Tesla Elon Musk armed up against a battery maker in India Friday which was using the name of the car manufacturer’s name for its commercial purposes.

The Indian company was under the name of Tesla Power and the case has been filed in New Delhi, reported Reuters.

During the hearing in the Indian capital, the Texas-based EV maker said that the Indian company had continued advertising its products with the "Tesla Power" brand despite a cease-and-desist notice sent in April 2022, as per the proceedings released on the High Court’s website.

Tesla Power India Pvt Ltd maintained that its main business is to make "lead acid batteries with no intention of making electric vehicles.

The Indian firm was given a time frame of three weeks to submit written responses after giving in its defence.

The company of a 52-year-old billionaire is incorporated in Delaware, and accused the Indian company of using trade names "Tesla Power" and "Tesla Power USA".

The outlet reported: "The court record included screenshots of a website that showed that Tesla Power USA LLC was also headquartered in Delaware and had been acknowledged for being a pioneer and leader in introducing affordable batteries with a very strong presence in India."

A representative of Tesla Power Manoj Pahwa told the publication: "It has been present in India much before Musk's Tesla and had all government approvals. We have never claimed to be related to Elon Musk's Tesla."

Musk’s company said the Indian company was using its brand name in 2022 and attempted to stop but it could not.

The case was filed days after Elon Musk cancelled his visit to the nuclear-armed country on April 21 to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi.