US-based Perplexity AI refuses to comply with Mainichi Newspapers’ demands over article use – The Mainichi

TOKYO — U.S.-based generative AI company Perplexity AI Inc. responded Dec. 23 Japan time to a protest The Mainichi Newspapers Co. lodged against the firm for unauthorized use of its articles in a generative AI search service but did not agree to any of the five demands made by the paper, including immediately halting the unauthorized use of articles.

In its email response, Perplexity AI presented its general position that search services do not constitute copyright infringement. Meanwhile, in response to claims that false representations differing from article content appeared in search results displaying the Mainichi Shimbun’s name as the source, the company did not rule out that this situation was occurring with specific media outlets. It also expressed a willingness to discuss the matter with The Mainichi Newspapers.

The Mainichi Newspapers sent a letter of protest to Perplexity AI on Dec. 1, asserting that displaying responses based on articles collected without permission constitutes copyright infringement and demanding an immediate halt to the unauthorized use of content. The paper argued that allowing “free riding” on articles could destroy news organizations’ business models, ultimately threatening the foundations of democracy. It also sought the deletion of data that Perplexity AI previously reproduced, as well as the payment of compensation and damages.

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