The New York Times has filed a lawsuit against AI search startup Perplexity for copyright infringement, joining other media outlets in taking legal action against the company. The Times claims that Perplexity is using its content without permission or compensation, even as several publishers are negotiating deals with AI firms. The lawsuit aims to leverage negotiations and ensure that AI companies properly license content to compensate creators and support original journalism. Perplexity attempted to address compensation demands with programs like the Publishers’ Program and Comet Plus, but the Times remains firm in holding the company accountable for using its content without authorization.

The Times’ lawsuit alleges that Perplexity’s AI technology gathers information from websites and databases to generate responses, often replicating or summarizing copyrighted works from outlets like The Times. This unauthorized use of content has caused damage to the Times’ brand and economic viability. This legal battle is not the first for The Times, as the outlet is also suing OpenAI and Microsoft for training AI systems with its articles without compensation. The lawsuit against Perplexity adds to mounting legal pressure on the company, as other media outlets have made similar claims against it.