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AI Startup Perplexity Demanded Alleged Trademark Infringement

Perplexity, the venture-backed start-up structure AI-powered search products, has actually been taken legal action against in federal court for presumably breaching another .

In a problem filed Thursday in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, lawyers representing a company called Perplexity Solved Solutions implicate Perplexity of infringing on its trademark rights by utilizing the brand name “Perplexity.”

Perplexity Solved Solutions, a Plano, Texas-based firm established in 2017, used to register the Perplexity trademark with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) in October 2021, according to the complaint.

Perplexity Solved Solutions mostly sells HR and office cooperation software application, consisting of a merged dashboard for HR analytics and a videoconferencing tool called Perplexity Meet. The company protected a trademark registration by November 2022 and started promoting products on its site, perplexityonline.com, a domain that Perplexity Solved Solutions had actually registered in 2021.

Perplexity and counsel for Perplexity Solved Solutions did not react since press time. TechCrunch will upgrade the article if either party comments.

The Texas business declares that AI start-up Perplexity began infringing on its trademark “in or around” August 2022 to promote its AI-powered online search engine. The month prior – July 2022 – Perplexity had actually signed up the domain perplexity.ai, which the complaint likewise declares is violation.

“The [Perplexity] site presently located at the infringing domain name prominently features the Perplexity [hallmark],” the complaint reads,” [and] the infringing goods and services are highly similar to those offered by Perplexity [Solved Solutions] and appeal to a comparable consumer base. For example, Perplexity [Solved Solutions’] ‘Perplexity Meet’ and accused’s ‘Perplexity Spaces’ both are software platforms that assist in communication and partnership among coworkers in businesses and other organizations.”

Perplexity Spaces, which the San Francisco-based AI startup released for business customers in October, are hubs with a personalized AI assistant and adapters to third-party platforms, apps, and file systems.

The complaint alleges that Perplexity has “filled the marketplace” with its infringing branding, including marketing throughout its numerous social networks accounts. The AI start-up decreased to purchase the Perplexity hallmark in September 2023 when provided, per the grievance, and rather opted to apply for its own hallmark with the USPTO, which is still pending.

According to the problem, Perplexity didn’t comply with a stop and desist letter from Perplexity Solved Solutions’ counsel, and it hasn’t withdrawn its pending trademark application – despite efforts to oppose the application before the USPTO’s trial and appeal board.

Attorneys for Perplexity Solved Solutions state that Perplexity’s use of its hallmark is likely to sow confusion.

“In reality, upon info and belief, customers currently have actually been confused,” the complaint checks out. “For instance, on many occasions, social networks users have ‘tagged’ Perplexity in their posts about defendant’s infringing goods and services.”

The complaint declares that Perplexity’s conduct violates laws, including the Lanham Act – the U.S. federal law that controls hallmarks and unjust competitors. To name a few kinds of legal relief, Perplexity Solved Solutions is seeking to bar Perplexity from using its trademark, along with the hallmark “Perplexity AI,” pay damages, and transfer ownership of any domains that include Perplexity branding.

It’s the current courtroom headache for Perplexity, which is currently battling a lawsuit filed by News Corp’s Dow Jones and the NY Post over what the plaintiffs refer to as a “content kleptocracy.” Many other news sites have actually revealed concerns that Perplexity closely replicates their content – simply last October, The New york city Times sent out the startup a cease and desist letter.

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