Perplexity AI defeats trademark lawsuit over 'Perplexity' name
By Blake Brittain
Artificial intelligence startup Perplexity AI convinced a federal judge in California to dismiss a trademark lawsuit against it after the plaintiff, software company Perplexity Solved Solutions, failed to retain attorneys to handle its case.
U.S. District Judge Jacqueline Corley on Monday granted Perplexity AI's request to end the dispute after PSS' attorneys withdrew from the case in August and were never replaced.
PSS could not be reached for comment. A Perplexity AI spokesperson declined to comment on the decision on Tuesday.
Plano, Texas-based PSS was founded in 2017 and offers "AI-driven solutions for seamless collaboration, data analytics, and intelligent decision making," according to its website. PSS said it received a federal trademark for "Perplexity" covering software services in 2022.
PSS sued Perplexity AI for trademark infringement in January, arguing that its name would confuse consumers. The complaint said that PSS declined to sell its trademark to Perplexity AI in 2023.
PSS attorneys Eleanor Lackman and Marissa Lewis of Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp asked to withdraw in July, citing "an irreparable breakdown in the attorney-client relationship" that made it "unreasonably difficult for MSK to carry out the representation effectively." The attorneys did not immediately respond to a request for comment and more information on Tuesday.
A Texas woman named Dawn Mobley told the court in a series of emails in September and October that she was the owner of PSS and asked for more time to find new attorneys, citing a "major attack including credit tampering" that had affected her finances. Corley rejected her request on October 9.
Mobley did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the case on Tuesday.
The case is Perplexity Solved Solutions Inc v. Perplexity AI Inc, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, No. 3:25-cv-00989.
For Perplexity AI: Jennifer Barry of Latham & Watkins
Read more:
Perplexity AI sued by software company for trademark infringement
