One of the world’s biggest design software companies has sued Google over this AI tool

Autodesk, one of the biggest computer-aided design (CAD) software making companies in the world, has filed a federal lawsuit against Google over a tool that allows users to make AI-generated videos.

The complaint alleged that Google infringed upon Autodesk’s “Flow” trademark to market a competing suite of AI-enabled tools designed to make videos for films, television and video game industries.According to news agency Reuters, the lawsuit was filed on Friday in San Francisco federal court. Autodesk claims it began using the “Flow” brand in September 2022 to categorise its cloud-based visual effects and production management tools.

In the filing, the company behind industry standards like AutoCAD and Maya said that it ‘surprised’ when Google unveiled its own “Flow” software in May 2025, targeting an identical customer base of creators and studios.

Autodesk claims Google 'falsely represented’ Flow name

The company went on to claim that Google provided assurances that it would not commercialise the “Flow” name, however, the complaint alleges that Google secretly applied for a trademark in the Kingdom of Tonga.

This is a common tactic used by tech companies to secure intellectual property in a jurisdiction where applications are not easily accessible to the public, the report added.“Google’s false representation that it would always use a combination of its house mark and Flow was intended to buy time to allow it to swamp Autodesk’s place in the market. Despite the success of Autodesk’s Flow products, the much larger Google will likely overwhelm the Autodesk Flow products and Flow marks,” the complaint said.The complaint said Google used the Tonga application to seek similar trademark protection for Flow in the US, and has marketed Flow at industry events including the Sundance Film Festival.

What Autodesk seeks from the lawsuit

The Reuters report said that Autodesk is seeking unspecified compensatory and punitive damages for the consumer confusion and alleged irreparable harm Google caused.“We remain committed to protecting our innovations and ensuring fair competition in the global marketplace,” Autodesk said in a statement.Alphabet’s market cap sits at approximately $3.9 trillion (at the time of writing) compared to Autodesk’s $51 billion. Last month, Autodesk announced it would cut roughly 1,000 jobs (7% of its workforce) to pivot resources toward cloud platforms and artificial intelligence.