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.
