CNN sues Perplexity over alleged copyright infringement and paywall circumvention
The lawsuit alleges the AI startup scraped content without permission, ignored blocking efforts, and provided verbatim copies of articles, including those behind paywalls.
CNN has initiated legal proceedings in a New York court against artificial intelligence startup Perplexity, alleging widespread copyright infringement and unfair competition. The complaint contends that Perplexity’s AI tools, including its answer engine and Comet browser, scraped proprietary news content without authorisation, generated verbatim copies of articles, and circumvented subscription paywalls.
The filing, lodged on Thursday, marks a significant escalation in the dispute between the media conglomerate and the AI firm. CNN argues that the startup ignored repeated efforts to block its unidentified web crawlers and failed to secure a final licensing agreement after initial terms were agreed upon in October 2025. The suit seeks monetary damages and a permanent injunction to halt what it describes as unlawful conduct.
Central to CNN’s allegations is the claim that Perplexity’s systems reproduce substantial portions of its reporting without permission or compensation. The lawsuit cites a specific instance where the AI tool produced verbatim text from the article “What’s next for Minneapolis? A shaky promise, mounting tensions and the fight for control” when prompted with its title. CNN emphasises that human beings are responsible for reporting, researching, writing, and editing the content that Perplexity allegedly takes without licence.
The legal action follows the collapse of a commercial arrangement. In October 2025, the parties agreed to a deal allowing CNN content to be offered through Perplexity’s Comet Plus subscription service. However, CNN scrapped the agreement in November 2025, citing disagreements over usage limits and other issues. Following the termination, CNN sent a letter demanding Perplexity cease using its content and trademarks, alleging that no response was received.
Perplexity has defended its position by asserting that facts are not subject to copyright protection. Spokesperson Jesse Dwyer stated, “You can’t copyright facts,” in response to the lawsuit. CNN joins a growing cohort of companies, including The New York Times, News Corp, Amazon, and Reddit, currently litigating against Perplexity over similar allegations of unauthorised data usage and copyright infringement.
