Perplexity AI Faces New Lawsuit from Japanese Media Groups Over Copyright Infringement
Perplexity AI, a startup valued at $18 billion, is facing a new lawsuit from Japanese media groups Nikkei and Asahi Shumbun over allegations of copyright infringement. The lawsuit, filed in a Tokyo District Court, claims that Perplexity has been storing and resurfacing articles from the publishers without permission, a practice they describe as “free riding” on journalists’ work. Perplexity CEO Aravind Srinivas previously worked at OpenAI. Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images
Background and Previous Controversies
Perplexity AI has been at the center of controversy in the past, with several media outlets accusing the company of copyright infringement. In 2024, Condé Nast, Forbes, and The New York Times threatened legal action against Perplexity, and the company is currently battling a lawsuit from Dow Jones and The New York Post. Despite these challenges, Perplexity has attempted to rebuild trust with media players through revenue-sharing agreements, including a program that gives outlets a portion of the ad revenue generated from their material.
Revenue-Sharing Efforts and Industry Response
Perplexity’s revenue-sharing program has attracted partners such as Time Magazine, Fortune, and the German news site Der Spiegel. The company has also unveiled plans to give publishers around 80 percent of the sales from Comet Plus, a news service expected to launch later this year. However, not all media outlets are convinced, and some have signed licensing deals with OpenAI instead. The New York Times is suing OpenAI and Microsoft over unauthorized use of its content, while Canadian startup Cohere was hit with a similar lawsuit this year from more than a dozen news publishers.
Implications and Future Developments
The lawsuit from Nikkei and Asahi Shumbun is the latest challenge for Perplexity AI, and it remains to be seen how the company will respond. As the media industry continues to navigate the rise of AI, it is clear that copyright infringement and revenue-sharing agreements will be major points of contention. For more information on this developing story, visit Here
Image Source: observer.com
