On May 28, local time, Reuters and Bloomberg reported that CNN filed the lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. The complaint alleges that Perplexity unlawfully copied over 17,000 pieces of CNN content for its service.
CNN contends that Perplexity provided answers to user queries that were either identical to or substantially similar to the original content, allowing users to access key information from CNN without visiting its website.
The two parties had previously discussed a content licensing agreement but failed to reach a consensus. According to The Verge, negotiations stalled late last year due to disagreements over the scope of use. CNN subsequently requested that Perplexity cease using its materials, but the startup continued to do so.
Specifically, CNN claims that Perplexity's AI search engine and AI browser, Comet, continued to collect data even after access was blocked. The lawsuit cites instances where users entered CNN article titles and received nearly identical sentences in response.
Perplexity has denied the allegations. A company spokesperson stated, "The facts are not copyright protected." Perplexity has previously argued in other lawsuits that AI-generated responses do not constitute copyright infringement and that building a searchable database falls under fair use.
CNN is seeking damages and an injunction against further copyright infringement, asserting that Perplexity utilized its materials for AI service operations without covering the costs of original reporting.
This lawsuit adds to the growing legal disputes surrounding Perplexity with media and content companies. The startup is also facing lawsuits from The New York Times, Dow Jones, New York Post, and Reddit over copyright infringement and unauthorized data use.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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