Japan's Yomiuri Shimbun sues perplexity in landmark AI copyright case
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Japan’s Yomiuri Shimbun has filed a $15 billion lawsuit against US-based AI firm Perplexity, accusing it of using 120,000 news articles without permission.
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Yomiuri Shimbun's front page following the shooting of Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on June 7, 2022. (AP)
Japan’s Yomiuri Shimbun, one of the world’s largest newspapers by circulation, has filed a lawsuit against US-based artificial intelligence firm Perplexity, accusing it of violating AI copyright laws through the unauthorized use of its news content.
The legal action marks the first time a major Japanese media outlet has taken formal steps against an AI company for alleged copyright infringement, underscoring growing global tensions between media organizations and AI developers.
In its complaint, Yomiuri Shimbun accuses Perplexity of "free-riding on the results of the activities of news organisations, which have invested a great deal of effort and expense" to produce original journalism. The lawsuit, filed in a Tokyo court on Thursday, seeks 2.2 billion yen (approximately $14.7 million) in damages.
According to the newspaper, Perplexity used content from around 120,000 Yomiuri Shimbun articles without permission between February and June. The company alleges that this unauthorized use violated copyright protections and undermined the value of its journalistic work.
Damages claimed for financial and editorial impact
Yomiuri Shimbun is also seeking compensation for lost advertising revenue, arguing that Perplexity’s AI-powered search engine provides users with article summaries that reduce direct traffic to the newspaper’s website.
A spokesperson for the Japanese paper said such practices “could have a negative impact on accurate journalism... and shake the foundations of democracy,” emphasizing the broader implications for media sustainability.
With a daily circulation of around six million and a newsroom of approximately 2,500 reporters, Yomiuri Shimbun remains a key player in Japan’s media landscape despite a steady decline from over 10 million in 2010.
Perplexity did not issue an immediate response to the lawsuit. However, the company has previously pushed back against similar legal actions, including those brought by the Wall Street Journal and New York Post in October.
In earlier statements, the AI firm criticized what it described as an “adversarial posture” from media companies, calling it “shortsighted, unnecessary, and self-defeating.” Perplexity maintains that it is working toward creating “genuinely pie-expanding businesses” by using publicly reported facts in innovative ways.
Rising legal challenges in the AI and media space
The Yomiuri Shimbun case adds to a growing wave of global litigation aimed at AI companies over alleged copyright violations. As artificial intelligence technologies increasingly rely on existing content to train models and generate responses, media organizations across the world are demanding clearer rules and compensation structures.
Japan’s legal action against Perplexity highlights the ongoing struggle to define the boundaries of intellectual property in the age of artificial intelligence. As the AI copyright debate intensifies, courts in various countries will likely play a decisive role in shaping how content is shared, monetized, and protected in the digital era.
