Anthropic’s India expansion collides with a local company that already had the name

As Anthropic expands into India, a local software company has filed a complaint in court saying it was already using the name ‘Anthropic’, highlighting how the rapid global push from AI companies could collide with local incumbents.

The filing comes at a time when Anthropic is deepening its focus on India, announcing an office in India last October and recently appointing former Microsoft India executive Irina Ghose to lead its operations in the country. This underlines the growing importance of the South Asian market for global AI companies expanding beyond the US and Europe.

In a complaint filed with a commercial court in Karnataka in January reviewed by TechCrunch, Indian company Anthropic Software said it has been using the name since 2017 and that Anthropic’s recent entry into India has caused confusion among customers. The company is seeking recognition for its past use and relief to prevent further confusion, along with ₹10 million (approximately $110,000) in damages.

Anthropic Software founder and director Mohammad Ayyaz Mulla told TechCrunch that the Indian company was not looking for confrontation, but clarity and recognition of its past use in India, adding that lawsuits were a way out if clean coexistence could not be achieved.

“From now on, I am exercising my legal right as this is causing great confusion to my customers,” he said.

India, the world’s most populous country and one of the fastest-growing internet markets, has become a key battleground for AI companies like Anthropic and its rival OpenAI. The country will also host an AI Impact Summit in New Delhi next week, where Anthropic co-founder and CEO Dario Amodei will appear alongside other industry leaders such as Sam Altman, Jensen Huang and Sundar Pichai.

A Jan. 20 court order seen by TechCrunch shows that the court sent Anthropic a notice and a summons. However, it declined to issue a preliminary injunction and ordered the case returned on February 16.

Anthropic did not respond to a request for comment.