Perplexity, the venture-backed startup constructing AI-powered search merchandise, has been sued in federal courtroom for allegedly violating one other firm’s trademark.
In a grievance filed Thursday within the U.S. District Court docket for the Northern District of California, attorneys representing an organization referred to as Perplexity Solved Options accuse Perplexity of infringing on its trademark rights by utilizing the model “Perplexity.”
Perplexity Solved Options, a Plano, Texas-based agency based in 2017, utilized to register the Perplexity trademark with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Workplace (USPTO) in October 2021, in accordance with the grievance.
Perplexity Solved Options primarily sells HR and office collaboration software program, together with a unified dashboard for HR analytics and a videoconferencing software referred to as Perplexity Meet. The corporate secured a trademark registration by November 2022 and began selling merchandise on its web site, perplexityonline.com, a website that Perplexity Solved Options had registered in 2021.
Perplexity and counsel for Perplexity Solved Options didn’t reply as of press time. TechCrunch will replace the article if both celebration feedback.
The Texas firm alleges that AI startup Perplexity started infringing on its trademark “in or round” August 2022 to advertise its AI-powered search engine. The month prior — July 2022 — Perplexity had registered the area perplexity.ai, which the grievance additionally alleges is infringement.
“The [Perplexity] web site presently positioned on the infringing area identify prominently options the Perplexity [trademark],” the grievance reads, “[and] the infringing items and providers are extremely just like these provided by Perplexity [Solved Solutions] and attraction to an identical buyer base. For instance, Perplexity [Solved Solutions’] ‘Perplexity Meet’ and defendant’s ‘Perplexity Areas’ each are software program platforms that facilitate communication and collaboration amongst colleagues in companies and different organizations.”
Perplexity Areas, which the San Francisco-based AI startup launched for enterprise clients in October, are hubs with a customizable AI assistant and connectors to third-party platforms, apps, and file methods.
The grievance alleges that Perplexity has “saturated the market” with its infringing branding, together with advertising throughout its varied social media accounts. The AI startup declined to buy the Perplexity trademark in September 2023 when provided, per the grievance, and as an alternative opted to file for its personal trademark with the USPTO, which remains to be pending.
In response to the grievance, Perplexity didn’t adjust to a stop and desist letter from Perplexity Solved Options’ counsel, and it hasn’t withdrawn its pending trademark utility — regardless of efforts to oppose the appliance earlier than the USPTO’s trial and attraction board.
Attorneys for Perplexity Solved Options say that Perplexity’s use of its trademark is more likely to sow confusion.
“In truth, upon info and perception, shoppers have already got been confused,” the grievance reads. “For instance, on quite a few events, social media customers have ‘tagged’ Perplexity of their posts about defendant’s infringing items and providers.”
The grievance alleges that Perplexity’s conduct violates legal guidelines, together with the Lanham Act — the U.S. federal regulation that regulates logos and unfair competitors. Amongst different types of authorized aid, Perplexity Solved Options is searching for to bar Perplexity from utilizing its trademark, in addition to the trademark “Perplexity AI,” pay damages, and switch possession of any domains that embrace Perplexity branding.
It’s the most recent courtroom headache for Perplexity, which is presently battling a lawsuit filed by Information Corp’s Dow Jones and the NY Submit over what the plaintiffs describe as a “content material kleptocracy.” Many different information websites have expressed considerations that Perplexity intently replicates their content material — simply final October, The New York Occasions despatched the startup a stop and desist letter.
