Amazon wins a temporary injunction against Perplexity's Comet browser

Source: Engadget

Background

Amazon has secured a temporary win in its fight with Perplexity over the use of AI shopping bots. A San Francisco federal court determined that Perplexity must stop using its Comet web browser’s AI agent to make purchases for users on Amazon’s marketplace. The AI company has a week to appeal the decision; otherwise, it must stop accessing any password‑protected areas of Amazon’s systems and destroy its copies of Amazon’s data while the two companies continue to argue their cases.

Court Decision

“Amazon has provided strong evidence that Perplexity, through its Comet browser, accesses with the Amazon user’s permission but without authorization by Amazon, the user’s password‑protected account,”
— District Judge Maxine Chesney, in placing the temporary block.

The preliminary injunction will prevent Perplexity’s unauthorized access to the Amazon store and is an important step in maintaining a trusted shopping experience for Amazon customers, an Amazon spokesperson told Bloomberg.

Reactions

• Amazon: Sent a cease‑and‑desist letter to Perplexity over the AI company’s shopping bots in November, stating that use of the Comet agent to make purchases violates its terms of service.
• Perplexity: A representative said the company will continue to fight for the right of internet users to choose whatever AI they want.

Reference

This article originally appeared on Engadget:
Amazon wins a temporary injunction against Perplexity’s Comet browser