Background of the Lawsuit

The New York Times escalated its legal battle against AI answer engine Perplexia by filing a complaint in a New York federal court. The newspaper claims Perplexia unlawfully crawls, scrapes, copies, and distributes its copyrighted articles, producing responses that are "verbatim or substantially similar copies" of the original work.

Allegations of Technical Evasion

According to the filing, Perplexia’s crawlers intentionally ignored or evaded technical content‑protection measures, including the robots.txt file that specifies which parts of a website can be accessed by automated agents. The Times asserts that this deliberate circumvention allowed the AI service to present its content without directing users to the newspaper’s site or requiring a subscription.

Impact on Revenue and Prior Notices

The lawsuit argues that by providing substitutive output derived from the Times’s articles, Perplexia deprives the publisher of subscription, advertising, licensing, and affiliate revenue. The newspaper says it previously sent cease‑and‑desist notices to Perplexia, most recently in July, after earlier attempts to halt the unauthorized use failed.

Broader Publisher Actions

Perplexia is not the only AI company facing legal challenges. The Chicago Tribune filed a similar copyright lawsuit on Thursday, joining a growing list of publishers that allege AI services have been skirting paywalls and reproducing content without permission. The New York Times has previously sued OpenAI for copyright infringement and later partnered with Amazon to bring its content to platforms like Alexa.

Perplexia’s Response

In response, a Perplexia spokesperson stated that publishers have historically sued new technologies, from radio to social media, and that such legal actions have rarely succeeded. The spokesperson emphasized that the company does not believe the lawsuit will significantly impact its operations.

Legal Relief Sought

The Times is seeking monetary damages and a permanent injunction to prevent Perplexia from continuing the alleged behavior. The filing underscores the newspaper’s broader effort to protect its intellectual property in an era where AI tools can quickly reproduce large volumes of text.

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