Home / Technology / Grammarly sued for likeness misuse
Grammarly sued for likeness misuse
12 Mar
Summary
- Journalist Julia Angwin leads suit against Grammarly.
- Suit alleges unauthorized use of names and identities for profit.
- Grammarly's controversial AI feature is being discontinued.
A federal lawsuit was filed in the Southern District of New York, spearheaded by investigative journalist Julia Angwin. The suit challenges Grammarly's alleged misappropriation of the names and identities of hundreds of journalists, authors, and writers.
Angwin, the sole named plaintiff, asserts that Grammarly, owned by Superhuman, profited from using these individuals' identities without consent. The complaint seeks damages exceeding $5 million for the plaintiff class.
Amid significant public criticism, Superhuman announced it would discontinue the 'Expert Review' feature. The company acknowledged missing the mark and apologized for the feature's shortcomings.
This legal challenge highlights concerns over professionals' names and skills being appropriated by tech companies. Longstanding laws in New York and California prohibit the commercial use of a person's name and likeness without permission, according to Angwin's attorney.
