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Encyclopedia Britannica and Merriam-Webster are taking Perplexity, an AI search engine startup, to court over alleged copyright infringement. A lawsuit filed in New York claims Perplexity illegally scraped content from their websites, diverting traffic and using copyrighted material to fuel its ‘answer engine.’ Britannica further alleges trademark infringement, asserting that Perplexity misrepresents the accuracy and completeness of information when associating it with the publishers’ brand names.

The suit details instances where Perplexity’s AI-generated responses closely mirror Merriam-Webster definitions. Perplexity, which seeks to challenge Google in the search market, has faced prior accusations of inadequate attribution and citation practices.

Britannica and Merriam-Webster also claim Perplexity employs methods to circumvent website protections designed to prevent scraping. This isn’t the first time Perplexity has been scrutinized; Forbes, The New York Times, and the BBC have also voiced concerns. While some publishers, like Time magazine and the Los Angeles Times, participate in Perplexity’s ad revenue-sharing program, this legal action represents a significant challenge to the AI search company’s business model.