Japanese newspapers Nikkei Inc and Asahi Shimbun Co have filed a lawsuit against artificial intelligence startup Perplexity AI Inc, accusing them of copyright infringement.
The lawsuit was filed in Tokyo District Court on Tuesday, with newspapers seeking an injunction and 2.2 billion yen (US$15 million) each.
Asahi Shinbun, the owner of Japan's largest financial newspaper and left-leaning, said the confusion has been recreated and preserved since at least last June. The companies claimed that the startup's AI search results ignored coding intended to restrict access, introduced errors caused by news organizations, and harmed their reputation.
“These actions amount to a continuous, large free road on the time and effort of journalists,” the newspaper said in a joint statement. “If left unchecked, this could undermine any media that is trying to accurately report the facts and ultimately shake up the foundations of democracy.”
Legal measures highlight the growing conflict between publishers and AI companies, beyond control and profit from news content. Media organizations claim that AI tools that use work without a license suck up the revenues of readers and advertising, threatening an already vulnerable business model.
Courts in Japan, the US and Europe have emerged as important battlefields where they can determine how copyright law applies to the generator AI. Based in San Francisco, the baffling valued at US$18 billion in its latest funding, also faces legal challenges from Forbes, Dow Jones of News Corporation and Yomulisinbun.
Bloomberg
