Japanese media giants, including Nikkei and Asahi Shimbun, have initiated legal action against Perplexity AI, alleging copyright infringement. The core of the dispute centres on the accusation that Perplexity illegally accessed, copied, and stored copyrighted article content from their online platforms. Publishers claim the AI's summarisation capabilities allow users to bypass original sources, impacting website traffic and revenue.
Yomiuri Shimbun Holdings also filed a suit, claiming Perplexity accessed over 100,000 articles between February and June, violating reproduction rights. The lawsuit seeks damages of ¥2.1 billion (US$14.2 million) and demands Perplexity cease using their content. Perplexity has stated they are taking the matter seriously and are committed to ensuring publishers benefit from AI business models.
This legal challenge marks a significant moment as the first copyright lawsuit by a major Japanese media organisation against a generative AI company. The outcome could set a precedent in Japan and influence global discussions surrounding AI's use of copyrighted news material.
