reports that Hulumao never took out a patent on the design because lawyers advised it that it is hard for small companies to secure intellectual property rights for DIY-style products like this folding cat lounger.
To register its dissatisfaction with the large American company, Hulumao wrote a somewhat sarcastic open letter to its CEO, Elon Musk, on its Instagram page. Written in English, the letter thanks the richest man on earth for “promoting our product with Tesla logo on it.” It adds that it is certain it has “never manufactured this model for Tesla company in China nor licensed the design to you,” and reasons that there must be a misunderstanding in the matter.
Hulumao’s founder, Hsiao Shih, ultimately lamented that “I guess there’s not really much we can do.” However, I would suggest that there is something Tesla can do, and that’s pay Hulumao a royalty fee.