A US court has temporarily stopped Perplexity AI from using its AI-powered web browser agent Comet to shop on behalf of users on Amazon. The decision comes after Amazon accused the startup of making purchases from its marketplace without clearly informing the e-commerce giant that the actions were being carried out by an automated agent rather than a human user. Keep reading for the details.
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Amazon filed a lawsuit in November claiming that Perplexity committed computer fraud, reports Bloomberg. The company alleged that the Comet browser accessed Amazon accounts and continued doing so even after the retailer asked the startup to stop.
This week, a federal judge sided with Amazon and issued a temporary order restricting the AI company’s actions. District Judge Maxine Chesney, who is overseeing the case in San Francisco federal court, said Amazon presented convincing evidence.
‘Amazon has provided strong evidence that Perplexity, through its Comet browser, accesses with the Amazon user’s permission but without authorisation by Amazon, the user’s password-protected account,’ wrote Chesney.
Under the temporary order, Perplexity must stop accessing password-protected parts of Amazon’s systems, including accounts belonging to Prime members. The court also instructed the company to destroy copies of Amazon’s data.
The order will not take effect immediately. The court has paused enforcement for one week so that Perplexity can file an appeal.
’The preliminary injunction will prevent Perplexity’s unauthorised access to the Amazon store and is an important step in maintaining a trusted shopping experience for Amazon customers,’ Amazon spokesperson Lara Hendrickson said. ‘We look forward to continuing to make our case in court.’
