Belagavi: A legal battle over the use of the brand name “Anthropic” has reached the Belagavi Principal District and Commercial Court, where representatives of Anthropic India Private Limited appeared on Monday in response to a summons issued in a case filed by Belagavi-based IT firm Anthropic Softwares Private Limited.
The dispute centres on the use of the name “Anthropic,” which the Belagavi company claims is its established brand identity. The local startup has accused the US-based artificial intelligence firm Anthropic PBC and its Indian subsidiary of using the same name, allegedly causing confusion in the market and affecting its business prospects.
During the hearing, advocate Tejas C. Shetty, representing Anthropic India, argued that the Indian subsidiary is a separate legal entity under Indian law and cannot receive summons or represent the interests of its parent company based in the United States. He submitted that the summons originally issued by the court were intended for Anthropic PBC in the US and therefore could not be accepted on behalf of the parent company.
Responding to this argument, counsel for the Belagavi firm stated that both the US company and its Indian subsidiary have been included in the legal proceedings because the dispute involves the use of the same brand name.
Advocate Satish Karale, representing the Belagavi-based company, said that the plaintiff intends to file an amended plaint to formally include Anthropic India as an additional party to the case. According to him, the lawsuit seeks relief against both the global firm and its Indian subsidiary.
The court, presided over by Principal District and Sessions Judge Manjunath Naik, adjourned the matter to March 23 and directed the plaintiff to take appropriate legal steps before the next hearing. The court also ordered that fresh summons be issued to the US address of Anthropic PBC.
Speaking after the hearing, Ayyaz Mulla, Managing Director of Anthropic Softwares Private Limited, alleged that the defendants were attempting to delay proceedings through technical arguments rather than addressing the core issue of brand infringement. He said the company would continue to seek an interim injunction, stating that the ongoing dispute was impacting the firm’s brand and business plans.
Mulla said the Belagavi-based startup, established in 2017, has been developing various technology products including AI-integrated personal tutors, safe-driving technology applications, community Wi-Fi tools and school-management platforms. He pointed out that the US-based Anthropic PBC was founded later in 2021, while its Indian subsidiary was registered only recently.
Anthropic PBC, headquartered in San Francisco, is a major artificial intelligence company known for its AI platform Claude.ai.
The next hearing in the case is scheduled for March 23.