Anthropic’s India growth collides with a neighborhood firm that already had the identify

As Anthropic expands into India, a neighborhood software program firm has filed a courtroom criticism saying it was already utilizing the identify “Anthropic,” spotlighting how the fast international push of AI corporations can collide with native incumbents.

The submitting comes amid Anthropic deepening its deal with India, asserting an India workplace final October and extra not too long ago appointing former Microsoft India managing director Irina Ghose to guide its operations within the nation, underscoring the South Asian market’s rising significance to international AI corporations increasing past the U.S. and Europe.

In a criticism filed in a industrial courtroom in Karnataka in January, reviewed by TechCrunch, the Indian firm Anthropic Software program says it has used the identify since 2017 and that Anthropic’s current entry into India has led to buyer confusion. The agency is searching for recognition of its prior use and reduction to stop additional confusion, together with ₹10 million (about $110,000) in damages.

Anthropic Software program founder and director Mohammad Ayyaz Mulla informed TechCrunch that the Indian firm was not searching for confrontation, however readability and recognition of its prior use in India, including that litigation was a fallback if clear coexistence couldn’t be achieved.

“As of now, I’m exercising my authorized proper because it’s inflicting large confusion to my prospects,” he stated.

India, the world’s most populous nation and one of many fastest-growing web markets, has change into a key battleground for AI corporations like Anthropic and its rival OpenAI. The nation can also be set to host an AI Influence Summit in New Delhi subsequent week, the place Anthropic co-founder and chief govt Dario Amodei is showing alongside different business leaders like Sam Altman, Jensen Huang, and Sundar Pichai.

A courtroom order dated January 20 and seen by TechCrunch reveals that the courtroom has issued discover and swimsuit summons to Anthropic. Nevertheless, it declined to grant an interim injunction and listed the matter to return on February 16.

Anthropic didn’t reply to a request for remark.