Nikkei and Asahi Shimbun Sue Perplexity over Alleged Article Copying and False Attribution
Two major Japanese media organizations — Nikkei and the Asahi Shimbun — have filed a joint lawsuit against AI startup Perplexity, accusing it of copying and storing article content from their servers and publishing inaccurate information that was attributed to the newspapers.
Key facts
- Each company seeks ¥2.2 billion (about $15 million) in damages and demands removal of any stored articles.
- The plaintiffs say Perplexity “copied and stored article content” without permission and that the AI provided false information credited to the outlets, which “could undermine the foundation of journalism.”
- This comes a day after Perplexity announced a new Comet Plus subscription and revenue-sharing plan for publishers; critics say the economics still shortchange publishers compared with direct subscriptions.
Background and context
Perplexity has faced multiple accusations of scraping content without permission. Recent reports claim the company used web crawlers that bypassed robots.txt and firewalls, impersonated browsers, and rotated IP addresses to access publisher content. Earlier reporting in 2024 accused Perplexity of pulling content from outlets such as Forbes and Wired.
The company recently unveiled a publisher revenue program tied to a $5 Comet Plus subscription that promises 80% revenue share from an initial $42.5M pool — a model some publishers argue pays far less than their direct subscription rates.
Sources
- Japan Times — report on the lawsuit
- Nippon.com — coverage of the legal action
- Business Standard — additional reporting
- Engadget — original article referenced
We will monitor developments and update this post if more details or official statements are released.
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