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AI Startup Perplexity Demanded Alleged Trademark Infringement

Perplexity, the venture-backed start-up structure AI-powered search items, has been sued in federal court for apparently breaking another business’s hallmark.

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

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

Perplexity Solved Solutions mainly sells HR and work environment collaboration software, consisting of a combined control panel for HR analytics and a videoconferencing tool called Perplexity Meet. The business secured 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 Perplexity Solved Solutions did not react since press time. TechCrunch will update the article if either celebration 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 search engine. The month prior – July 2022 – Perplexity had actually signed up the domain perplexity.ai, which the problem also declares is infringement.

“The [Perplexity] website currently situated at the infringing domain plainly includes the Perplexity [hallmark],” the complaint reads,” [and] the infringing goods and services are highly similar to those provided by Perplexity [Solved Solutions] and interest a comparable consumer base. For example, Perplexity [Solved Solutions’] ‘Perplexity Meet’ and offender’s ‘Perplexity Spaces’ both are software application platforms that facilitate interaction and collaboration amongst colleagues in companies and other organizations.”

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

The grievance alleges that Perplexity has “filled the market” with its infringing branding, including marketing throughout its numerous social networks accounts. The AI startup declined to buy the Perplexity hallmark in September 2023 when offered, per the grievance, and instead decided to submit for its own hallmark with the USPTO, which is still pending.

According to the grievance, Perplexity didn’t comply with 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 state that Perplexity’s use of its hallmark is likely to plant .

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

The grievance declares that Perplexity’s conduct breaks laws, including the Lanham Act – the U.S. federal law that manages hallmarks and unfair competitors. To name a few kinds of legal relief, Perplexity Solved Solutions is looking for to bar Perplexity from utilizing its hallmark, in addition to the trademark “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 submitted by News Corp’s Dow Jones and the NY Post over what the complainants refer to as a “content kleptocracy.” Many other news websites have actually revealed concerns that Perplexity carefully duplicates their content – simply last October, The New York Times sent the startup a cease and desist letter.

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