• by Ray Schultz , Yesterday

The growing list of copyright and trademark lawsuits in the AI space has a new entry. And it is different from the others.  

Comet ML filed suit last week, charging that Perplexity is violating its registered mark, in violation of the Lanham Act, by launching an AI-powered browser for agentic search called “COMET.” Comet ML says it has used the name since 2017.  

However, the Perplexity product has not yet appeared. And the court has rejected a motion by the plaintiff for a temporary restraining order on that ground. 

“Though the marks appear quite similar on the face of the motion, the Court cannot find an immediate need for injunctive relief given the lack of currently competing products. As a result, the Court DENIES the motion for a Temporary Restraining Order."

Moving forward, the case will have to be litigated to establish if there is any truth to the charges, and who is entitled to use the name. It might be a relief to the court, given that the issue concerns branding, not advanced technology. 

This isn't the only legal action involving Perplexity--last year, Dow Jones has filed suit against the firm  for allegedly pursuing a “massive amount of illegal copying” of content in the New York Post and Wall Street Journal. 

In addition to injunctive relief, Comet ML is asking for actual and punitive damages and court costs. 

The court record did not show that Perplexity had filed an answer or a counter-claim at deadline. 

The case is on file with the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.