Overview
- The New York Times filed its case in the Southern District of New York, alleging Perplexity scraped and repackaged its stories, videos, podcasts and images, with outputs that are identical or substantially similar to its journalism.
- The Times also brings Lanham Act claims, saying Perplexity fabricated material that was falsely attributed to the newspaper, harming its brand.
- The Chicago Tribune sued a day earlier in New York federal court, alleging Perplexity’s RAG systems and Comet browser reproduced Tribune reporting and bypassed its paywall, diverting traffic and revenue.
- Both publishers seek damages and permanent injunctions that would bar Perplexity from using their content and require removal of their material from its products.
- Perplexity did not immediately comment in several reports; the company has promoted publisher partnerships and a Getty Images licensing deal and also faces suits from Reddit, Dow Jones and the New York Post as legal pressure builds.