American television company CNN statedwhich filed a lawsuit against the AI startup Perplexity, accusing it of creating “verbatim” copies of journalistic materials and providing users with access to content that is subject to a paid subscription. About this writes The Verge.
Perplexity, which offers Comet’s AI search engine and AI browser, ignored CNN’s attempts to block the startup’s unidentified search bots that were harvesting content from the site, the filing said. The lawsuit alleges that journalists spend significant resources creating material that the company uses without permission or compensation.
CNN gave an example where the Perplexity tool reproduced “verbatim” fragments of the article “What’s next for Minneapolis? A shaky promise, mounting tensions and the fight for control” only after entering its title in the search bar.
CNN’s lawsuit is part of a broader wave of lawsuits against Perplexity. Earlier, the company was accused of copyright infringement The New York TimesEncyclopedia Britannica, Merriam‑Webster and News Corp, which owns The Wall Street Journal. In addition, lawsuits were filed against the startup Amazon and Reddit.
In the case file, CNN also mentioned a failed attempt to negotiate with Perplexity to cooperate. In October 2025, the parties discussed the possibility of providing content through a Comet Plus subscription, but could not agree on the terms of use of the materials. In November, CNN pulled out of the deal and sent the company a letter demanding it stop using its content and trademarks. According to the plaintiff, there was no response from Perplexity.
CNN is seeking damages and a permanent injunction against what it deems to be illegal. In response, Perplexity’s Jesse Dwyer commented, “Facts are not copyrightable.”
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