A federal judge has sided with Amazon in its legal fight against AI startup Perplexity, issuing a temporary order that blocks Perplexity's 'Comet' browser from accessing the retail giant's site. The ruling, dated Monday from U.S. District Judge Maxine Chesney in San Francisco, comes months after Amazon filed suit, accusing Perplexity of deliberately disguising its AI agents to scrape Amazon's website without permission. Perplexity, which allows users to direct its Comet assistant to find and buy products on Amazon, dismissed the November lawsuit as a 'bully tactic.' But Judge Chesney found Amazon presented 'strong evidence' of unauthorized access and 'essentially undisputed evidence' that it spent over $5,000 addressing the issue. This included developing tools to block Comet from private customer accounts and advertising systems. 'Amazon has shown a likelihood of success on the merits of its claim,' Chesney wrote. The company argued Perplexity's agents created security risks for customer data and disrupted its advertising business by generating automated traffic that must be filtered out before billing clients. An Amazon spokesperson called the injunction a key move to protect customer trust. Perplexity stated it 'will continue to fight for the right of internet users to choose whatever AI they want.' The judge included a one-week stay for a potential appeal. The case highlights the growing friction between established online platforms and independent AI developers. Amazon has systematically blocked external AI agents, including ChatGPT, while promoting its own assistant, Rufus.

Source: CNBC