Japanese publishing giants Nikkei Inc. and The Asahi Shimbun Co. have launched a joint lawsuit against US-based artificial intelligence startup Perplexity AI, accusing the firm of large-scale copyright infringement.
The publishers are seeking 4.4 billion yen (\$30 million) in damages and a court injunction to halt the alleged misuse of their content.
Filed with the Tokyo District Court, the case follows a similar lawsuit earlier this month by Yomiuri Shimbun Holdings.
The publishers argue that Perplexity AI copied and stored articles from their servers without authorization and repeatedly used the material to generate AI responses since at least June 2024.
Nikkei and Asahi further allege that the California company undermined their credibility by presenting inaccurate information as fact while citing their articles as sources, misleading readers, and damaging public trust.
In a joint statement, the publishers denounced the practice as systematic free-riding on journalism that required significant editorial effort, without offering any compensation.
They vowed to continue advocating for the protection of professional journalism as a cornerstone of a democratic society.
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