Reuters is reporting that “Dow Jones, New York Post sue Perplexity AI for ‘illegal’ copying of content”
News Corp, owner of The Wall Street Journal and the New York Post, has filed a lawsuit against AI search engine Perplexity for extensive copyright infringement. The suit alleges that Perplexity copies articles, analyses, and opinions on a massive scale without authorization. By allowing users to “skip the links” to original articles, Perplexity is accused of diverting traffic and revenue away from News Corp’s sites.
Perplexity trains its AI models by scraping web content, enabling it to generate summaries in response to user queries. News Corp claims that Perplexity not only reproduces content verbatim but also misattributes sources and fabricates stories attributed to its outlets. Despite a cease and desist letter sent in July, Perplexity allegedly did not respond.
Other media entities like Wired, Forbes, and The New York Times have raised similar concerns, accusing Perplexity of unauthorized scraping and plagiarism. While Perplexity has started compensating some publishers like Time and Fortune, News Corp is seeking a court order to halt the use of its content and destroy any related databases.
Implications for Advanced SEOs:
- Content Scraping Risks: This case underscores the legal risks associated with scraping and repurposing copyrighted content without permission.
- Traffic Diversion Concerns: AI platforms that provide direct answers can reduce organic traffic to original sources, impacting site metrics and ad revenues.
- Attribution and Accuracy: Misattributed or fabricated content can harm brand reputation and trustworthiness, key factors in SEO performance.
- Compliance and Partnerships: Establishing proper licensing agreements is crucial when using third-party content to avoid legal complications.
Key Takeaway
For advanced SEOs, this lawsuit highlights the importance of ethical content practices and compliance with intellectual property laws. As AI continues to evolve in search, ensuring that content strategies respect legal boundaries is essential for sustainable SEO success.
