Japan’s Yomiuri Shimbun, one of the world’s largest newspapers by circulation, has filed a lawsuit against US-based AI company Perplexity, accusing it of using the paper’s content on its search platform without permission.
The case, lodged in Tokyo on Thursday, is the first of its kind by a major Japanese news outlet and adds to a growing number of similar suits from media organisations worldwide against AI firms for using their material.
Yomiuri alleged that Perplexity had benefited from the work of news organisations that invested significant resources in reporting, a practice it described as “free-riding.”
A spokesperson warned that such actions risk undermining accurate journalism and could threaten democratic foundations.
The newspaper is seeking 2.2 billion yen (about $14.7 million) in damages, claiming Perplexity used roughly 120,000 of its articles without consent between February and June, as well as compensation for lost advertising revenue, AFP reported.
Yomiuri argued that users of Perplexity tend to read its search summaries rather than visit the original site, which reduces web traffic.
With a daily circulation of around six million—down from over 10 million in 2010—and a staff of about 2,500 reporters, Yomiuri remains one of Japan’s five major daily newspapers. Perplexity has not yet commented on the lawsuit.