Global AI hype meets local grit in a Bengaluru courtroom, where US startup Anthropic confronts accusations of trademark infringement from its Indian namesake. Anthropic Software’s founder, Mohammad Ayyaz Mulla, is rallying government support to salvage his seven-year-old brand amid crippling market confusion.
Specializing in edtech for rural competitive exam aspirants, the Indian outfit locked in registrations across Startup India, Startup Karnataka, and the Corporate Affairs Ministry back in 2017. A patented product snagged government funds, a 2018 approval, and a 2021 order, fueling growth to over 500 institutional partners.
Trouble brewed last summer when a legal notice demanded they ditch ‘Anthropic’—channeled indirectly via cloud services. Defending their priors, Mulla’s team negotiated briefly before silence ensued. Undeterred, the US company eyed India expansion: appointing a local MD in January and inaugurating a Bengaluru hub this week.
Parallel to CEO Dario Amodei’s summit praise for India’s AI potential, Belagavi judges hit back. Ignoring a prior summons, the Americans drew a fresh order from Judge Manjunath Naik, advancing the Indian plea to bar deceptive name use.
‘Our traffic vanishes into their domain; clients search and land elsewhere,’ Mulla highlighted, underscoring losses from apps and services integral to education. The next showdown is March 9.
Mulla’s plea underscores a broader imperative: Governments must shield startups from international overreach to nurture innovation ecosystems. As India cements its tech stature, such disputes test the balance between growth and fairness.