WASHINGTON – An artificial intelligence start-up that uses Anthropic PBC’s AI models sued the US over a government order that the maker of Claude and Mythos keep its most advanced technology out of the hands of foreign nationals.
The suit, filed on June 23 in federal court in Washington, comes less than two weeks after Anthropic disabled access to its most advanced AI models – Fable 5 and Mythos 5 – in response to the Trump administration’s export controls. Legion, a litigation-technology company that builds tools for attorneys, is based in the US but said its software development employees include Canadian nationals who work from Canada.
Legion said in its filing that Anthropic shutting off access to the Fable 5 model in particular meant the company “lost the latest tool at the centre of its development instantaneously”.
Legion said the harm to the company was “immediate, irreparable and existential”, and that the pace of AI development is so fast and competitive that any ground given up during the time the model is unavailable can’t be restored.
The White House and Commerce Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
“Each day the directive remains in force disrupts Legion’s product, operations, sidelines its engineers, and erodes the company’s ability to survive in a field defined by continuous access to the most capable models,” Legion said in its filing.
In a statement, an Anthropic spokesperson said the company is “grateful to the administration” for working to resolve the situation as fast as possible.
“We remain committed to working alongside the government towards our shared goals of protecting critical infrastructure and making sure the US leads in AI,” according to the statement.
Defendants named in the suit include Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, who warned Anthropic chief executive Dario Amodei in a letter that the company would require permission from the government before exporting its Fable 5 and Mythos 5 models outside the US, or to foreign nationals in any location.
Legion co-founder and chief executive Arthur Rothrock said he decided to file the suit because he believes the government’s action sets a dangerous precedent.
“Who’s to say they can’t do this any other time against another company, like OpenAI?” he said. BLOOMBERG
