AI Startup Perplexity Demanded Alleged Trademark Infringement

Perplexity, the venture-backed startup building AI-powered search products, has actually been sued in federal court for presumably violating another business’s hallmark.

In a problem submitted Thursday in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, attorneys representing a business called Perplexity Solved Solutions accuse Perplexity of infringing on its trademark rights by utilizing the brand « Perplexity. »

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

Perplexity Solved Solutions primarily offers HR and work environment partnership software, consisting of an unified control panel 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 signed up in 2021.

Perplexity and counsel for Perplexity Solved Solutions did not respond since press time. TechCrunch will upgrade the post if either celebration comments.

The Texas business alleges that AI start-up Perplexity started infringing on its hallmark « in or around » August 2022 to promote its AI-powered 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] website currently located at the infringing domain name prominently includes the Perplexity [hallmark], » the complaint reads, » [and] the infringing goods and services are highly similar to those offered by Perplexity [Solved Solutions] and attract a similar consumer base. For instance, Perplexity [Solved Solutions’] ‘Perplexity Meet’ and offender’s ‘Perplexity Spaces’ both are software application platforms that assist in communication and cooperation among coworkers in businesses and other organizations. »

Perplexity Spaces, which the San Francisco-based AI start-up launched for business consumers in October, are hubs with an adjustable AI assistant and adapters to third-party platforms, apps, and file systems.

The complaint declares that Perplexity has actually « saturated the marketplace » with its infringing branding, consisting of marketing across its numerous social media accounts. The AI startup declined to purchase the Perplexity trademark in September 2023 when provided, per the complaint, and instead decided to submit for its own trademark with the USPTO, which is still pending.

According to the grievance, Perplexity didn’t adhere to a cease 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 say that Perplexity’s usage of its hallmark is most likely to sow confusion.

« In truth, upon details and belief, customers currently have been puzzled, » the complaint reads. « For instance, on various occasions, social networks users have actually ‘tagged’ Perplexity in their posts about defendant’s infringing goods and services. »

The complaint alleges that Perplexity’s conduct breaches laws, including the Lanham Act – the U.S. federal law that controls trademarks and unjust competition. Among other forms 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 presently fighting a suit submitted by News Corp’s Dow Jones and the NY Post over what the complainants refer to as a « content kleptocracy. » Many other news sites have revealed issues that Perplexity closely replicates their material – just last October, The New york city Times sent out the startup a stop and desist letter.

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