Japan's largest newspaper sues Perplexity

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Japan's Yomiuri Shimbun, its largest newspaper by circulation, has sued US-based AI startup Perplexity for allegedly reproducing 119,467 of its articles without permission.

It becomes the first copyright case by a major Japanese news publisher against an AI company.

Filed in Tokyo District Court, the suit seeks nearly USD 15 million in damages and an injunction, accusing Perplexity of violating reproduction and public-transmission rights under Japanese law. 

In Japan, the law permits AI training on copyrighted works, but bans wholesale reproduction that harms rights holders.

Perplexity said it was "deeply sorry for the misunderstanding" and is reviewing the claims. 

The firm has no blanket content deals with newspapers, but runs revenue-sharing programs with select publishers such as Time, Fortune, Der Spiegel, and Le Monde.

The company faces similar lawsuits in the US, while in India, a copyright case against OpenAI involving Indian Express, The Hindu, and India Today is ongoing in the Delhi High Court.