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Two of Japan’s media giants—Nikkei Inc. and The Asahi Shimbun Co.—have filed a lawsuit against California-based Perplexity AI Inc., accusing the generative AI firm of trampling over copyright boundaries and siphoning their content without consent. The lawsuit, lodged in a Tokyo court Tuesday, seeks an injunction and damages of 2.2 billion yen ($14.9 million).

The case marks one of the most aggressive international confrontations between legacy journalism and the fast-rising world of generative AI, a battle that could redefine how machines handle copyrighted news.

Allegations of Ignoring Digital Boundaries

The newspapers said they had put up clear digital “no trespassing” signs—known as robots.txt—to block unauthorized scraping of their work. But Perplexity allegedly plowed past those barriers, pulling content directly, even from subscriber-only paywalls.

In a joint statement, Nikkei blasted the practice:

“Unauthorized use of articles created through significant time and effort by journalists cannot be overlooked. Some outputs even distort facts, creating falsehoods under our names.”

The publishers argue this practice violates three provisions of Japan’s Copyright Act and one article of the Unfair Competition Prevention Act. They further allege Perplexity not only used their content but brazenly displayed their brand names as sources—while serving up “large amounts of incorrect information.”

Journalism at Risk, Democracy in Question

The publishers warned that if unchecked, AI-driven content scraping could “undermine the foundation of journalism” and erode trust in democratic societies. They emphasize that Perplexity has not paid a yen for access to their work, a stance that echoes rising frustration in global media circles.

Echoes in the U.S. Courts

This lawsuit is not unfolding in isolation. In the United States, News Corp. subsidiaries—which publish The Wall Street Journal and New York Post—have raised similar claims. Just last week, a New York federal judge refused to dismiss their case, ruling that Perplexity falls under the state’s jurisdiction.

Perplexity’s Defense and New Business Moves

Perplexity has tried to frame itself as a partner to publishers rather than a predator. In 2023, it unveiled the Perplexity Publishers’ Program, signing deals with Time, Der Spiegel, Fortune, and the Texas Tribune to share revenue from referenced content.

This week, the startup announced Comet Plus, a new subscription service where publishers could be paid when their articles fuel AI outputs. Perplexity argued traditional publishers were “trapped in the now-primitive economics of clocks and pageviews” and touted Comet Plus as a modern solution for the digital age.

Despite these assurances, Perplexity did not immediately respond to requests for comment regarding the Japanese lawsuit.