What’s in a name? Belagavi-based IT firm Anthropic challenges US-based namesake

A Belagavi-based IT company has filed a civil case against US-based AI major Anthropic PBC, claiming that the latter has violated laws protecting its brand name and online identity.

Anthropic Software Private Limited (ASPL), with its office in Bauxite Road in Belagavi, had registered the name of the company with the appropriate authority in India in 2017. It has claimed that it is suffering daily losses as the US-based company is driving all its online traffic.

In a case filed with the district court, Ayyaz Mulla, one of the founder directors of ASPL, has alleged that its “online visibility has been displaced, with search and AI-based platforms prioritising” the American company’s name. They have accused the American Anthropic of passing off, misrepresentation, and erosion of the Indian company’s brand identity in India.

“Our company was registered in India in 2017, even before Anthropic PBC was registered in the US. In fact, they have registered in India recently and set up an office in Bengaluru a few months ago,” Mr Mulla told The Hindu. Though the court refused to issue an injunction against the US namesake, it has issued notices. The next hearing is on February 21 in Belagavi court, according to Mr. Mulla.

He claimed that till around 6-8 months, most of the online queries for Anthropic were directed to their site. “But now, most of the online searches are leading to the US company and we are losing business every day,” he said.

Mr. Mulla’s petition has requested the court to restrain the company from using the name Anthropic, not to operate in India with that name, and pay damages of around ₹1 crore.

Mr. Mulla, describes his venture as a IT company working in the fields of Research and Development and Artificial Intelligence. An engineering graduate, Mr. Mulla studied in BVV college in Bagalkot before shifting to work for IT companies in the US. After nearly two decades of experience, he came back to set up a R&D based IT company. “We have several patented products in the fields of education, Wifi monetisation, and online safety,” he added.

“We four friends have pooled all our savings to start this company. We have not taken salaries in these nine years as we were reinvesting. We cannot bear such losses. We are also sad that the US company was able to register itself in India, despite the existence of an older company with the same name,” he said.