Yomiuri Sues Perplexity AI Over Copyright Infringement

Japan’s largest newspaper publisher, Yomiuri Shimbun Holdings, has filed a landmark copyright infringement lawsuit in Tokyo against US-based AI startup Perplexity, alleging the unauthorized use of its journalism.

The lawsuit claims Perplexity accessed and used approximately 120,000 Yomiuri articles and accompanying images between February and June 2024, without seeking permission or offering compensation. Yomiuri is demanding the startup cease using its content and is seeking 2.1 billion yen (US$14.2 million) in damages. According to Yomiuri’s legal team, this case marks the first copyright-related lawsuit by a major Japanese media organization involving generative AI. The newspaper accuses Perplexity of violating intellectual property rights by incorporating its articles into AI-generated responses.

Key Highlights

• Yomiuri sues Perplexity AI for unauthorized use of 120,000 articles
• Seeks ¥2.1 billion (US$14.2M) in damages and a stop to content use
• First Japanese generative AI copyright lawsuit by a major media firm

Yomiuri emphasized that such unauthorized usage threatens the sustainability of quality journalism, stating that "journalistic integrity and accuracy are vital to democracy", and that using professional reporting without consent or attribution undermines those values.

The lawsuit spotlights growing global tensions between media companies and AI firms over the use of copyrighted content to train or power AI tools. As AI-generated content becomes more widespread, media outlets are increasingly pushing back against what they see as digital exploitation of their work.

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Perplexity has not yet issued a public response to the lawsuit. The case could set a legal precedent in Japan—and potentially influence global debates—regarding AI’s use of copyrighted news material.