Perplexity, the venture-backed start-up building AI-powered search products, has actually been taken legal action against in federal court for apparently breaching another company's trademark.


In a grievance 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 utilizing the brand "Perplexity."


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


Perplexity Solved Solutions mostly offers HR and office partnership software, including a combined control panel for HR analytics and a videoconferencing tool called Perplexity Meet. The business secured a trademark registration by November 2022 and started promoting items on its site, perplexityonline.com, a domain that Perplexity Solved Solutions had registered in 2021.


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


The Texas company declares 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 registered the domain perplexity.ai, which the complaint likewise declares is infringement.


"The [Perplexity] website presently situated at the infringing domain name plainly features the Perplexity [hallmark]," the problem checks out," [and] the infringing products and services are highly comparable to those offered by Perplexity [Solved Solutions] and interest a comparable customer base. For example, Perplexity [Solved Solutions'] 'Perplexity Meet' and offender's 'Perplexity Spaces' both are software platforms that facilitate interaction and cooperation among coworkers in businesses and other companies."


Perplexity Spaces, which the San Francisco-based AI startup released for enterprise customers in October, are centers with an adjustable AI assistant and adapters to third-party platforms, apps, and file systems.


The grievance alleges that Perplexity has "filled the marketplace" with its infringing branding, including marketing across its various social networks accounts. The AI startup decreased to purchase the Perplexity trademark in September 2023 when offered, per the problem, and instead chose to submit for its own hallmark 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 hallmark 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 hallmark is most likely to plant confusion.


"In fact, upon information and belief, customers currently have actually been puzzled," the problem reads. "For example, on numerous celebrations, social networks users have actually 'tagged' Perplexity in their posts about defendant's infringing items and services."


The complaint alleges that Perplexity's conduct breaks laws, including the Lanham Act - the U.S. federal law that controls trademarks and unreasonable 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 most recent courtroom headache for Perplexity, which is presently fighting a lawsuit submitted by News Corp's Dow Jones and the NY Post over what the plaintiffs describe as a "content kleptocracy." Many other news websites have actually revealed issues that Perplexity closely reproduces their content - simply last October, The New york city Times sent the startup a cease and desist letter.


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