Key Allegations
1. Trademark Infringement & False Designation
Robbins’ lawsuit asserts that Defendants used his registered marks without authorization, violating the Lanham Act. The complaint emphasizes:
“Defendants … constructed an entire business model around impersonating various persons and public figures as GPT AI chatbot replicas, including … Anthony ‘Tony’ Robbins. … Defendants promote and distribute AI chatbot replicas that don’t just mimic Robbins, they masquerade as him.”
This “passing off” of unauthorized bots under the ROBBINS mark is alleged to cause consumer confusion and divert revenue from Robbins’ own offerings. Plaintiffs seek statutory damages, treble damages, and attorneys’ fees under 15 U.S.C. §1114(a) and §1125(a).
2. Statutory & Common‑Law Misappropriation of Name and Likeness
Under California Civil Code §3344 and common‑law publicity principles, Robbins holds exclusive rights to commercial use of his identity. Yet, the complaint charges:
“Defendants … falsely and fraudulently suggest that users are interacting with Robbins himself, thereby misleading the public and unlawfully trading on his identity.”
Robbins is seeking at least $10 million in compensatory damages for unfair competition, $2 million for each trademark infringement, and further punitive damages to address the defendants’ willful and malicious misconduct.
3. Unfair Competition & False Advertising
Plaintiffs allege that YesChat.ai’s practice of hosting bots branded as “Tony Robbins GPT,” “Coach Tony,” and “Talk to Tony Robbins” constitutes unfair competition (Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 17200) and false advertising:
“These GPTs … falsely and fraudulently suggest that users are interacting with Robbins himself, … misleading the public and unlawfully trading on his identity.”
They seek restitution of all profits garnered from these deceptive practices and injunctive relief barring further misuse of Robbins’ NIL and trademarks.
