Perplexity's definition of copyright gets it sued by the dictionary (www.engadget.com)

Perplexity AI is facing a new legal challenge as Merriam-Webster and Encyclopedia Britannica sue the company for copyright infringement, alleging that its "answer engine" unlawfully copies their protected content. The lawsuit, filed in federal court, contends that Perplexity not only replicates copyrighted definitions without authorization but also generates inaccurate or fabricated information falsely attributed to these publishers. The plaintiffs seek monetary damages and an injunction to prevent Perplexity from continuing to misuse their material. This case highlights ongoing tensions in the AI community over how language models source and present information, raising critical questions about intellectual property rights in AI-generated content. Perplexity’s alleged practice of substituting original website content with AI-generated answers threatens traditional revenue models, as it reduces user visits to publishers’ sites. This lawsuit joins a growing list of similar claims against Perplexity from major media firms such as the Wall Street Journal, New York Post, and Japanese outlets Nikkei and Asahi Shimbun, underscoring the legal risks AI companies face when training and deploying models reliant on proprietary data. The outcome could significantly impact how AI developers handle copyrighted material, potentially prompting more stringent data sourcing and attribution practices. For the AI/ML sector, these developments stress the urgent need to balance model performance with ethical and legal compliance, shaping future innovation and regulation in generative AI.