CNN sues Perplexity over copyright

CNN sued Perplexity AI in New York federal court on May 28, accusing the AI search company of copying and distributing its journalism without permission. The complaint says Perplexity used more than 17,000 CNN stories, videos, images and other works to build and market its products, then returned material that was “identical or substantially similar” to CNN’s reporting. CNN is seeking monetary damages and a court order blocking further alleged infringement. Perplexity said it would fight the case and argued that facts are not protected by copyright. ### Why is CNN saying this is more than ordinary web search? The 54-page complaint filed in the Southern District of New York says Perplexity does not simply link users to CNN’s reporting. CNN alleges the company copies protected material, combines it with large language models and delivers long-form answers that reduce the need for users to visit CNN’s own sites. The suit says that conduct lets Perplexity profit from reporting it did not pay to produce. (static.poder360.com.br) Perplexity describes itself as an “answer engine” that searches the internet in real time and distills information from what it calls authoritative sources into conversational responses, according to both CNN’s complaint and other litigation involving the company. CNN cites that description as part of its argument that Perplexity’s product is built around ingesting and re-presenting publishers’ work. (static.poder360.com.br) ### What exactly is CNN accusing Perplexity of copying? More than 17,000 CNN works are at issue, according to the complaint and Reuters’ account of the filing. CNN says the material includes stories, videos, images and other content used to power Perplexity’s products and tools. The complaint also alleges Perplexity distributes competing outputs that are “identical or substantially similar” to CNN’s work. (static.poder360.com.br) CNN said in a statement reported by Reuters that Perplexity, “a company valued at tens of billions of dollars,” should not be allowed to “steal from entities that create the original content Perplexity exploits.” In the complaint, CNN says the alleged copying undermines the economic incentives that support original newsgathering. (static.poder360.com.br) ### How did Perplexity respond? Perplexity spokesperson Jesse Dwyer rejected the claim in a statement to Reuters. “You can’t copyright facts,” Dwyer said. Reuters also reported that Perplexity plans to contest the suit aggressively. That response points to the central dispute in many AI copyright cases: publishers argue that protected expression is being copied and monetized, while AI companies argue they are using facts and publicly available material in lawful ways. (whbl.com) In this case, CNN’s filing focuses on both the alleged copying of source material and the way Perplexity’s answers are presented back to users. ### How does this fit into the wider legal fight over AI and news? Reuters said CNN’s lawsuit is one of dozens of U.S. cases brought by copyright owners, including news outlets, authors and publishers, against tech companies over alleged misuse of their work to train large language models. Reuters also reported that Perplexity is already facing lawsuits from The New York Times, Reddit and Dow Jones, among others. (static.poder360.com.br) Several publishers have chosen a different route by signing licensing agreements with AI companies, Reuters reported, seeking payment, attribution and links back to original reporting. CNN’s case instead asks a judge to decide whether Perplexity’s conduct crossed the line into infringement. ### What happens next in court? (whbl.com) Case 1:26-cv-04427 is now before the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, according to the complaint filed May 28. CNN is asking for unspecified damages and injunctive relief that would bar Perplexity from further violating its intellectual property rights. Perplexity’s next formal step will be to answer the complaint or move to dismiss it in that court. (static.poder360.com.br) (whbl.com)