B2B ecommerce major IndiaMART InterMESH Ltd has moved the Calcutta High Court against OpenAI, alleging that its website and supplier listings have been excluded from responses generated by ChatGPT, resulting in reputational and commercial harm.
In its petition, IndiaMART claimed that the alleged exclusion has significantly reduced its visibility on the AI-powered platform at a time when users are increasingly relying on conversational AI tools to discover suppliers, products and business services. The company argued that being left out of ChatGPT responses directly impacts customer discovery and leads generation.
IndiaMART has accused OpenAI of unfair discrimination, trade libel, dilution of trademark, and unlawful interference with business, contending that the selective omission of its platform creates a misleading impression among users about the availability and credibility of suppliers listed on IndiaMART.
According to the filing, ChatGPT’s growing adoption as a discovery and recommendation tool has altered how businesses are found online, making inclusion in AI-generated responses commercially significant. IndiaMART said the alleged exclusion distorts competition by disadvantaging its marketplace relative to other platforms that may continue to be referenced.
The company further argued that such conduct, if left unchecked, could set a precedent where AI platforms exercise disproportionate influence over digital visibility without transparency or accountability. It has sought judicial intervention to address what it describes as arbitrary and opaque content selection practices.
The case adds to a growing list of legal and regulatory challenges globally facing AI companies, as courts and policymakers grapple with issues around algorithmic fairness, competition, data usage and market impact. In India, the dispute is among the first to directly question how generative AI platforms affect commercial discovery and marketplace competition.
OpenAI has not yet publicly responded to the allegations.
The matter is expected to be closely watched by technology firms, digital marketplaces and policymakers, as it could shape future legal standards governing the role of AI systems in influencing online business visibility and competition.
Follow Startupbydoc for daily startup insights, funding news, IPO analysis, and business breakdowns.