Japanese media firms sue Perplexity over copyright issues: What we know

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Japanese media giants Nikkei and Asahi Shimbun on Tuesday jointly filed a lawsuit against artificial intelligence (AI) startup Perplexity in Tokyo. Two of Japan’s largest media groups have sued Perplexity over alleged copyright infringement, the Financial Times reported.

 

The case is the latest in a series of global legal battles between publishers and AI firms. Through this move, Japan has joined a growing list of Western media companies taking legal action against Perplexity. The AI startup provides answers with sources and citations, using large language models (LLMs).

 

According to the report, the media groups have claimed that Perplexity has copied and stored content from Nikkei and Asahi without permission. The news providers also accused the AI startup of ignoring measures taken by the providers to prevent such infringements.

 

The media groups further said that the AI platform has provided incorrect answers, attributing it to the news articles. The news outlets said such responses raise questions over the credibility of the media firms. Each outlet is seeking $15 million, plus deletion of archived material.

Why this matters?

The issue assumes significance as the tension between news publishers and AI companies over content usage has been growing. 

 

Several Indian publishers have also filed copyright cases against ChatGPT parent OpenAI for using their content without permission to train the chatbot.

 

Indian news agency ANI had also filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, accusing it of unauthorised use of subscriber-only and original content to train ChatGPT. According to a report by The Hindu, the Digital News Publishers Association (DNPA), which represents the digital arms of several mainstream TV and print organisations in India, had also intervened in a copyright lawsuit against OpenAI. The use of content without permission highlights risks to publisher revenues and control over intellectual property.

High-profile cases against AI firms

Japan is the latest to join the likes of the United States (US) and Europe, where lawsuits against AI companies are mounting. Here's a look at some of the most high-profile lawsuits against top AI firms:

Perplexity AI

Apart from Japanese media groups, Dow Jones & New York Post also filed cases against Perplexity. According to Reuters, the US federal court denied the AI startup's motion to dismiss or transfer the case, which remains active.

OpenAI

Several global news outlets have sued OpenAI, including:

Canadian News Publishers: In November 2024, Canadian news publishers, including The Canadian Press, Torstar, Globe and Mail, Postmedia and CBC/Radio-Canada, filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, news agency Associated Press reported.

The New York Times (US): The media giant accused OpenAI of using millions of NYT articles to train ChatGPT without authorisation. According to AP, a US federal judge had allowed NYT and others to proceed with a copyright lawsuit against OpenAI and Microsoft. 

 

Eight US newspapers owned by Alden Global Capital: Media outlets, including New York Daily News, Chicago Tribune, Orlando Sentinel, Sun Sentinel (Florida), The Mercury News, Denver Post, Orange County Register, and Pioneer Press, alleged unauthorised use of copyrighted articles to train ChatGPT and Copilot, without permission or payment.

Anthropic

Authors Andrea Bartz, Charles Graeber, and Kirk Wallace Johnson filed suit alleging Anthropic stored pirated books to train its Claude model. According to a report by AP, while using copyrighted texts was deemed fair use, storing pirated copies was not.

What AI firms are doing?

While some AI companies have begun taking accountability by introducing revenue-sharing models with publishers, many others are yet to take concrete steps to address these concerns. According to the FT report, Perplexity has introduced revenue-sharing agreements with global publishers like Time, Fortune, and Der Spiegel.

Policy gap in India

Unlike the US or Europe, India does not yet have a clear law on how AI can use copyrighted content. The country is still shaping its AI rules. For now, the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, governs data privacy, and in March 2024, the Ministry of Electronics and IT (MeitY) issued advisories on how AI models should be deployed. However, MeitY is working on drafting a dedicated law governing the usage of AI.

 

In May last year, Microsoft-backed OpenAI argued that Indian courts lacked jurisdiction to hear a copyright infringement case filed by ANI, since the company had no presence in the country. However, it has recently announced plans to open its first office in New Delhi. According to Reuters, the company maintained that any order to remove training data powering ChatGPT would conflict with its legal obligations in the US.