AI-powered search engine, Perplexity fired back at a copyright infringement lawsuit brought on by News Corp-owned (NWS, Financial), (NWSA, Financial) Wall Street Journal and New York Post. In a blog post Friday outlining conflicts between media and technology, the business dubbed the case "fundamentally shortsighted, unnecessary, and self-defeating".
The lawsuit argues Perplexity diverted attention away from publisher websites by using copyrighted content to create responses for search users. This is among several legal steps publishers have taken against artificial intelligence startups this year. The New York Times Company for example, sued Microsoft (MSFT, Financial) and OpenAI, then sent Perplexity a "cease and desist" notification.
Perplexity upholds it offers source references and argues the lawsuit won't hold up in court. "AI-enhanced search engines are not going away," Perplexity said, noting that the business is dedicated to working with media outlets. Already, perplexity has developed revenue-sharing relationships with Der Spiegel, TIME, and Fortune. This week OpenAI and Microsoft said they are developing AI-based newsroom solutions in collaboration with several news sources.
