A commercial court in Belagavi, Karnataka, has issued fresh summons to Anthropic PBC, a US-based artificial intelligence company, regarding a trademark infringement suit. The summons were issued after the American company representatives failed to appear in court despite earlier notices. The suit, filed by Belagavi-based Anthropic Softwares Private Ltd, alleges trademark violation over the use of the mark “Anthropic.”
The Indian company, claiming to have used the name “Anthropic” since 2017, asserts significant goodwill in the Indian subcontinent. It accuses the US entity of causing confusion among users, customers, and stakeholders by suggesting the American company’s name in place of its own on AI platforms and standard Google searches. The suit seeks to restrain the US company from associating itself with the mark “Anthropic” or any similar mark.
Citing a newspaper report on the US firm’s plans to open an office in India and a website announcement about operations in Bengaluru starting in early 2026, the Indian company argues for trademark protection. The court, while allowing the suit to proceed without pre-institution mediation, declined to grant an immediate injunction. It noted the absence of evidence showing the US company’s operations in India using the plaintiff’s mark, as the defendant’s address was listed as San Francisco, indicating no Indian establishment at the time.
Despite the lack of an imminent threat of infringement, the court ordered fresh summons to the US company’s officers at its Bengaluru office. The case is set for further hearing after the new summons are served.
