Elon Musk’s Xai faces potential Trademark Dispute Grok in the name of its chatbot. The company’s trademark application for the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office was suspended after the agency believed the name might be confused with two other companies, AI Chipmaker Groq and software provider Grokstream. Now, a third tech startup called Bizly claims it has the rights to “Grok”.
This is not the first time Musk has said they are trademarking one of the products for his other companies. Last month, Musk’s social media platform File a lawsuit A marketing company claims it has exclusive rights to Name X.
Bizly and Xai seem to have reached Grok’s name independently. Bizly founder Ron Shah said he raised this in a meeting of brainstorming with colleagues who used the word as a verb. (The word “grok” is often used in the technical world to mean “understanding”.) “I thought, that’s the name,” Shah told Wired. “We are excited, Gao Shengli, that’s the name!”
Musk Already said He named the chatbot after the term used in the 1961 science fiction novel Strangers are in a strange land, According to the Times of India. Author Robert A. Heinlein believes that “grok” is a word in the Martian dictionary, which also means “understanding.”
Shaa said he applied for a trademark in 2021. Announced his chatbot With the same name. “It’s a day I will never forget,” Shah said. “I woke up and looked at my phone and my friends had a lot of news saying ‘Has you been bought by Elon? Congratulations!’ It was a total shock to me.”
Shah insists that Xai infringes on his trademark. However, under U.S. law, trademark regulations are primarily intended to protect consumers rather than companies rather than companies. “The goal is not to confuse who is behind the product or service,” he said.
For example, Musk’s former partner Gram There are trademarks as well The name is Plusshie AI-powered toys for children, but the app is very different from software tools, reducing the likelihood of consumers mixing them together. “Details matter,” Gerben said. “What did the original Grok do, what did this new do? Do they operate in the same trade channel?”
As far as Bizly is concerned, the answers to these questions are rather vague. One of the requirements for a registered trademark is the owner It is required to prove that it is used to sell goods or services in at least two states. USPTO also allows people to submit trademarks to retain the right to have their name before the business starts, but they can’t actually register it until their jewelry website is fully up and running, or their pizza store chain expands to neighboring states.
