CNN sues AI search engine Perplexity for copyright infringement
The news network CNN accuses the AI startup of unlawfully copying editorial content. This is likely the first such lawsuit by a TV broadcaster.
(Image: Koshiro K/Shutterstock.com)
US news channel CNN is suing the AI-focused search engine company Perplexity. This is evident from a statement of claim (Ref. 1:26-cv-04427), which the broadcaster filed with a federal court in New York on Thursday. CNN accuses the tech company of having unlawfully scraped more than 17,000 articles, videos, and images and processed them for its chatbot responses.
The AI search engine often presents users with content that is “identical or substantially similar” directly in the search results instead of referring to the original source. Compounding the issue, Perplexity is also alleged to have bypassed or ignored technical measures against web crawlers.
A CNN spokesperson stated in a statement from the broadcaster that Perplexity should not steal from the companies that create the original content: “The public rely on high-quality news journalism reported by human beings [...], which is frequently dangerous and expensive to produce.” Jesse Dwyer, Head of Communications at Perplexity, rejected the accusations, stating that facts cannot be copyrighted.
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Failed Negotiations
According to the statement of claim, negotiations for a license agreement between the two parties failed last year. Perplexity therefore knew that it was not allowed to access the broadcaster's content. However, the company has already successfully entered into agreements with some other news providers, including TIME magazine, the newspaper Le Monde, and Der Spiegel.
As far as is known to date, CNN is the first television broadcaster to file a lawsuit after unsuccessful negotiations. However, other media companies, such as the New York Times, News Corp (through its subsidiaries Dow Jones and NYP Holdings), and the Chicago Tribune, are already in legal disputes with Perplexity.
(afl)
