The Chicago Tribune Takes Legal Action Against AI Search Engine Perplexity
On Thursday, the Chicago Tribune launched a lawsuit against AI search engine Perplexity, alleging copyright infringement in a case filed in a New York federal court.
Allegations of Copyright Infringement
According to the complaint, the Tribune’s legal team reached out to Perplexity in mid-October to inquire about the use of its content. Perplexity’s lawyers responded that while the platform did not train its models on the Tribune’s work, it might receive “non-verbatim factual summaries,” a claim the lawsuit disputes.
Claims of Verbatim Content Delivery
The Tribune’s attorneys contend that Perplexity is indeed providing its content in verbatim form, raising serious concerns over unauthorized use.
Issues with Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG)
Adding another layer to the complexity, the Tribune’s lawyers are also criticizing Perplexity’s retrieval augmented generation (RAG) methods. RAG aims to reduce inaccuracies by utilizing only verified data sources, yet the Tribune claims that its content is being included in Perplexity’s RAG systems without consent. Moreover, the Tribune alleges that Perplexity’s Comet browser circumvents the newspaper’s paywall to deliver detailed article summaries.
A Broader Trend in Media Lawsuits
The Tribune is one of 17 news organizations under MediaNews Group and Tribune Publishing that sued OpenAI and Microsoft over model training materials back in April, a case that is still pending. Additionally, nine similar lawsuits were filed against the model developer and its cloud provider in November.
Legal Ramifications for Content Creators
Numerous creators have initiated lawsuits against AI model developers regarding the use of their work for training purposes. The upcoming court rulings will be pivotal in defining the legal responsibilities pertaining to RAG.
Perplexity’s Current Legal Challenges
Perplexity has yet to comment on the Chicago Tribune’s lawsuit or respond to queries from TechCrunch. The AI search engine is already facing other legal challenges; for example, Reddit filed a lawsuit in October, and Dow Jones is also pursuing legal action. Recently, Amazon sent a cease-and-desist letter regarding AI browser shopping, signaling ongoing tensions in the industry.
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Here are five frequently asked questions (FAQs) regarding the Chicago Tribune’s lawsuit against Perplexity:
1. What is the Chicago Tribune’s lawsuit against Perplexity about?
The Chicago Tribune filed a lawsuit against AI search engine Perplexity, alleging copyright infringement. The Tribune claims that Perplexity is delivering its content verbatim without permission and is using the newspaper’s material in its retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) systems. Additionally, the Tribune alleges that Perplexity’s Comet browser bypasses the paper’s paywall to provide detailed summaries of its articles. (techcrunch.com)
2. When was the lawsuit filed?
The lawsuit was filed on December 4, 2025, in a federal court in New York. (techcrunch.com)
3. What is Perplexity’s response to the lawsuit?
As of now, Perplexity has not publicly responded to the Chicago Tribune’s lawsuit. The company has faced similar legal challenges from other media organizations, including News Corp’s Dow Jones and The New York Times, over allegations of content scraping and copyright infringement. (techcrunch.com)
4. Has the Chicago Tribune taken similar legal actions before?
Yes, the Chicago Tribune is part of a group of 17 news publications from MediaNews Group and Tribune Publishing that sued OpenAI and Microsoft over model training material in April 2025. Another nine publications from these groups filed a lawsuit against the model maker and its cloud provider in November 2025. (techcrunch.com)
5. What is retrieval-augmented generation (RAG)?
RAG is a method used in AI to limit hallucinations by having the model only use accurate or verified data sources. In this context, the Tribune alleges that Perplexity is using its content in its RAG systems without permission. (techcrunch.com)