Autodesk has taken legal action against Google, alleging the tech giant misappropriated the Flow name to promote competing AI-driven tools for film, television and video game production. In a complaint lodged on Friday in U.S. federal court in San Francisco, Autodesk says it first began using the Flow mark in September 2022 across offerings for visual effects, production management and related products.
According to the suit, Autodesk was taken aback when Google unveiled software called Flow in May 2025 that targets the same customer base. Autodesk says Google had earlier given assurances that it would not commercialize the Flow name, but that the company nevertheless applied that month to register the Flow trademark in the Kingdom of Tonga - a jurisdiction where trademark applications are typically not publicly accessible.
The complaint contends Google used the Tonga application as a stepping stone to pursue similar trademark protections in the United States, and that it has publicly marketed its Flow offering at industry gatherings, including the Sundance Film Festival. Autodesk asserts that Google represented it would always pair Flow with a house brand, and that this representation was intended to delay Autodesk’s defensive actions while Google prepared to enter the market in force.
"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," the complaint states. "Despite the success of Autodesk’s Flow products, the much larger Google will likely overwhelm the Autodesk Flow products and Flow marks."
The filing notes the companies’ relative market values, saying Autodesk was worth about $51 billion on Friday while Google’s parent, Alphabet, was worth about $3.9 trillion. Autodesk is seeking unspecified compensatory and punitive damages, arguing the alleged conduct has caused consumer confusion and inflicted irreparable harm.
"We remain committed to protecting our innovations and ensuring fair competition in the global marketplace," Autodesk said in a statement.
The complaint was filed in the context of Autodesk’s broader business shift: the company announced last month plans to reduce headcount by roughly 1,000 positions - about 7% of its workforce - as it reallocates spending toward its cloud platform and artificial intelligence initiatives.
Google had no immediate comment on Monday, according to the filings. The lawsuit seeks monetary relief and raises questions about branding and trademark strategy as large technology firms expand into specialized, AI-enabled creative tools.