Google sued for trademark infringement over ‘Gemini’ AI system

Sept 11 (Reuters) - Alphabet's Google (GOOGL.O) has been hit with a lawsuit over its Gemini artificial intelligence system by a small San Francisco AI company that said it has trademark rights to the "Gemini" name.

AI firm Gemini Data, founded in 2013, sued Google on Wednesday night in San Francisco federal court, claiming trademark infringement and unfair competition. It asked the court to bar Google from continued use of the “Gemini” name and to award unspecified monetary damages.

The lawsuit alleged Google “knowingly and willfully” trampled on Gemini Data’s intellectual property rights by co-opting "Gemini" to brand its AI system. Gemini Data, which makes an AI assistant platform, said Google’s use of Gemini would confuse consumers.

Google had no immediate comment. Gemini Data and a lawyer for the company did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Google last year launched its “Bard” generative AI platform, allowing users to interact with a human-like source of information. It rebranded the system as “Gemini” in February. Google is racing to incorporate AI into its hardware.

Gemini Data said it has federal trademarks covering "Gemini" for software. The lawsuit said Google was denied a trademark registration for “Gemini” at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office based on likely confusion with Gemini Data's marks.

“Google made the calculated decision to bulldoze over Gemini Data’s exclusive rights without hesitation,” the lawsuit said.

The case is Gemini Data Inc v. Google LLC, U.S. District Court, Northern District of California, No. 3:24-cv-06412.