“By copying The Times’s copyrighted content and creating substitutive output derived from its works, obviating the need for users to visit The Times’s website or purchase its newspaper, Perplexity is misappropriating substantial subscription, advertising, licensing, and affiliate revenue opportunities that belong rightfully and exclusively to The Times,” the lawsuit states.
The NYT is seeking damages and is also asking the court to permanently block the AI startup from engaging in its allegedly unlawful behavior. “Publishers have been suing new tech companies for a hundred years, starting with radio, TV, the internet, social media and now AI,” Perplexity spokesperson Jesse Dwyer said in an emailed statement to The Verge. “Fortunately it’s never worked, or we’d all be talking about this by telegraph.”
Update, December 5th: Added a statement from Perplexity.
