(26 Aug 2025) Nikkei and the Asahi Shimbun have sued artificial-intelligence startup Perplexity AI over alleged copyright infringement, joining other news organizations in Japan and the U.S. that are challenging the use of their content in AI tools.
The newspapers are seeking an injunction and ¥2.2 billion ($15 million) each in damages from Perplexity, they said in a joint statement Tuesday. The suit was filed at the Tokyo District Court.
The legal action by the Nikkei, which owns Japan’s biggest financial newspaper, and the left-leaning Asahi underscores a widening rift between publishers and AI companies over who controls — and profits from — the distribution of news.
The media industry argues that AI tools using their work without licenses siphons away readership and ad revenue, threatening already fragile business models.
The news in full is here.
