Hugging Face Settles Patent Infringement Suit with Friendliai

Hugging Face and FriendliAI Resolve Patent Dispute

Hugging Face, a prominent AI developer platform, has reached a settlement in a lawsuit brought by Korean AI startup FriendliAI. The initial claim centered around alleged patent infringement.

Lawsuit Dismissed with Prejudice

According to a court filing submitted on Friday to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Delaware, FriendliAI and Hugging Face finalized a “confidential agreement” on January 8th. Consequently, FriendliAI has agreed to drop its lawsuit “with prejudice,” precluding any future legal action on the same grounds.

The filing explicitly states that the dismissal will occur “without costs and fees to any party.” Furthermore, the court will maintain jurisdiction over the terms of the settlement agreement.

Details of the Original Claim

The lawsuit, originally filed almost two years ago, asserted that Hugging Face, based in Brooklyn, New York, had infringed upon FriendliAI’s patent related to “batching with iteration-level scheduling.”

FriendliAI, a venture capital-backed company founded in 2021 with offices in Redwood City, California, specializes in developing AI infrastructure solutions.

The Patented Technology

FriendliAI’s patent application with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office details a technology designed to enhance the efficiency of data batching within AI systems. This allows for the simultaneous processing of multiple requests.

The patent also encompasses AI systems capable of delivering completed requests from a batch to users while simultaneously incorporating new requests into the batch before its full completion.

Allegations Against Hugging Face

FriendliAI alleged that the “server” component of Hugging Face’s Text Generation Inference tool utilized its patented method for batching incoming requests.

The startup sought various remedies, including compensatory damages, increased damages for alleged willful infringement, a court injunction to halt further infringement, or the establishment of a licensing fee, alongside the recovery of legal fees and expenses.

Hugging Face's Position and Funding

Hugging Face, a major repository of AI tools and models globally, has secured $235 million in funding from significant investors.

• Google
• Amazon
• Nvidia
• Intel
• Salesforce

Beyond hosting models and tools, Hugging Face develops its own AI solutions and provides consulting services to assist businesses in refining, customizing, and deploying AI technologies.

A request for comment from Hugging Face was not answered at the time of this report.