The University of Tennessee Research Foundation (UTRF) has filed a patent infringement lawsuit against artificial intelligence company Anthropic, alleging that the startup used its patented neural network technology without authorisation in developing its AI systems.
The lawsuit was filed in the US District Court for the District of Delaware on Monday and became public on Tuesday. According to Reuters, the university is seeking monetary damages and a court order to prevent Anthropic from further using the disputed technology.
University Claims AI Systems Violate Patents
In its complaint, the University of Tennessee's research arm alleged that Anthropic's artificial intelligence models infringe two patents covering machine learning technologies inspired by neuroscience.
The patents relate to innovations in artificial intelligence, machine learning, neuromorphic computing and neuroscience-inspired computing that were developed by professors at the university.
The foundation argued that these inventions represent significant advances in AI research and that Anthropic incorporated the underlying technology into its AI systems without obtaining the necessary rights.
First Known Patent Lawsuit Against Anthropic
The case is believed to be the first patent infringement lawsuit filed against Anthropic, one of the leading developers of generative AI models.
In the complaint, the university criticised the company's approach to intellectual property, stating that its conduct extended beyond the use of copyrighted material.
"Anthropic's cavalier approach to others' intellectual property rights in the development of its products extends beyond the use of copyrighted material," the complaint stated.
The university has asked the court to award an unspecified amount in damages and issue an injunction preventing Anthropic from continuing to infringe the patents.
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Fresh Legal Challenge for AI Company
The lawsuit comes shortly after Anthropic secured judicial approval for a major copyright settlement in a separate legal dispute.
On Monday, a California federal judge approved the company's $1.5 billion settlement in a class-action copyright lawsuit brought by a group of authors over allegations that their works were used to train Anthropic's AI models without permission.
While that case focused on copyright issues, the latest lawsuit shifts attention to patent rights, adding another layer to the growing legal scrutiny facing AI developers over the technologies and data used to build their models.
Anthropic Yet to Respond
According to Reuters, spokespersons for both Anthropic and the University of Tennessee did not immediately comment on the lawsuit.
The case adds to the increasing number of legal battles surrounding artificial intelligence companies as courts continue to examine the boundaries of intellectual property protection in the rapidly evolving AI industry.
ALSO READ: Anthropic Accuses Alibaba of Illicitly' Accessing AI Models
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