Trademark Clash Erupts Between Two AI Startups Over 'Kepler' Brand and Domains

A new trademark lawsuit filed this week highlights the growing complexities of brand identity in the artificial intelligence industry. Internet Forest Corporation, doing business as New Generation, initiated legal action against Keru AI Inc. and its founders, Vinoo Ganesh and John McRaven, over the use of the 'Kepler' name and associated domain names.

Internet Forest Corporation operates its AI-driven e-commerce business under the domain TryKepler.ai. Prior to its launch, the domain GetKepler.ai was owned by a bioinformatics startup that also utilized AI technologies. In March, that bioinformatics company announced it was winding down operations and transitioning to a different business focus, posting a notice on its website to that effect.

Following this announcement, the founder of Internet Forest Corporation reached out to one of the bioinformatics startup’s founders to negotiate the purchase of the GetKepler.ai domain. However, the parties did not reach an immediate agreement. Subsequently, it was revealed that the domain had been sold to a different entity, Keru AI Inc., which was in the process of rebranding its AI business as Kepler, targeting the financial sector.

Keru AI Inc. acquired both GetKepler.ai and Kepler.ai, with the former forwarding to the latter. The defendant company rejected the trademark infringement claims, asserting that the two businesses operate in distinct markets and that Keru AI holds superior rights. Keru AI contended it began rebranding to Kepler prior to the plaintiff’s business launch and acquired common law rights to the KEPLER mark for AI software dating back to at least April 2025 through the purchase of the domain and associated rights from the previous owner, Keplogic, Inc.

The plaintiff disputes the scope of this acquisition, questioning whether any rights beyond the domain name itself were transferred. Notably, Internet Forest Corporation cites the initial confusion expressed by the domain seller as evidence of real-world brand confusion between the two companies.

Adding complexity, the domain GetKepler.com is owned by an unrelated company also using the Kepler name, underscoring the crowded nature of the Kepler brand in various industries.

The name 'Kepler' traces back to Johannes Kepler, the 17th-century German astronomer and mathematician renowned for his Three Laws of Planetary Motion, which may contribute to its popularity as a brand name.

This dispute could set important precedents regarding the breadth of trademark rights for companies leveraging AI technologies and the challenges of establishing brand identity in a rapidly evolving sector.