AI Startup Perplexity Demanded Alleged Trademark Infringement

Perplexity, the venture-backed start-up structure AI-powered search items, has actually been sued in federal court for supposedly violating another company’s trademark.

In a grievance filed 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 hallmark rights by utilizing the brand name “Perplexity.”

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

Perplexity Solved Solutions primarily sells HR and work environment cooperation software application, including a merged control panel for HR analytics and a videoconferencing tool called Perplexity Meet. The business protected a hallmark registration by November 2022 and began promoting items on its website, perplexityonline.com, a domain that Perplexity Solved Solutions had actually registered in 2021.

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

The Texas company alleges that AI startup 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 registered the domain perplexity.ai, which the problem also declares is violation.

“The [Perplexity] website currently located at the infringing domain prominently features the Perplexity [hallmark],” the problem checks out,” [and] the infringing items and services are highly comparable to those offered by Perplexity [Solved Solutions] and attract a similar customer base. For example, Perplexity [Solved Solutions’] ‘Perplexity Meet’ and accused’s ‘Perplexity Spaces’ both are software platforms that help with communication and partnership amongst coworkers in companies and other organizations.”

Perplexity Spaces, which the San Francisco-based AI startup launched for enterprise consumers in October, are hubs with a customizable AI assistant and connectors to third-party platforms, apps, and file systems.

The complaint alleges that Perplexity has actually “filled the marketplace” with its infringing branding, including marketing across its numerous social networks accounts. The AI startup decreased to buy the Perplexity hallmark in September 2023 when used, per the grievance, and rather chose to apply for its own trademark with the USPTO, which is still pending.

According to the complaint, 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 say that Perplexity’s use of its trademark is most likely to sow confusion.

“In truth, upon info and belief, consumers currently have actually been puzzled,” the problem reads. “For example, on various events, social networks users have actually ‘tagged’ Perplexity in their posts about defendant’s infringing goods and services.”

The complaint declares that Perplexity’s conduct breaches laws, including the Lanham Act – the U.S. federal law that controls trademarks and unreasonable competition. To name a few kinds of legal relief, Perplexity Solved Solutions is seeking to bar Perplexity from utilizing its trademark, as well as the trademark “Perplexity AI,” pay damages, and transfer ownership of any domains that include Perplexity branding.

It’s the most recent courtroom headache for Perplexity, which is presently battling a suit filed 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 expressed concerns that Perplexity closely reproduces their content – simply last October, The New york city Times sent out the start-up a stop and desist letter.

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