Headlines Summary:
In a significant turn of events, Japan’s Yomiuri Shimbun, one of the country’s most prominent newspapers, has filed a lawsuit against the U.S.-based AI company, Perplexity AI. The lawsuit, filed in Tokyo, alleges that Perplexity reproduced content from approximately 119,467 of Yomiuri’s articles without authorization between February and June 2025.
The lawsuit, currently pending at the Tokyo District Court, seeks damages of approximately ¥2.2 billion (around $14.7 million) and a ban on Perplexity’s use of Yomiuri’s articles. This is the first lawsuit by a major Japanese media company against an AI firm over unauthorized use of news content, reflecting the growing global legal challenges around generative AI and copyright.
The Yomiuri claims that Perplexity's AI search engine delivers summarized text closely replicating their articles without permission, which could have a negative impact on accurate journalism. The newspaper alleges consequential losses due to reduced website traffic and advertising revenue as users access answers on Perplexity without visiting Yomiuri’s site.
The case is notable for setting a potential precedent in how Japanese law will address AI “free-riding” on journalistic content. The lawsuit suggests that Perplexity’s actions could shake the foundations of democracy.
Meanwhile, in Australia, state lawmaker Gareth Ward, a politician from New South Wales, resigned yesterday. Ward was facing a court battle to halt the New South Wales parliament from voting to expel him. The vote, scheduled to take place an hour after his resignation, was in response to Ward’s rape convictions against two young men aged 18 and 24. The sexual abuse occurred between 2013 and 2015.
Despite his conviction, Ward refused to step down from state parliament. However, Speaker Greg Piper informed the assembly that Ward’s resignation letter took effect immediately.
Perplexity AI has publicly criticized media lawsuits as adversarial but has not publicly responded to the Japanese suit specifically. The outcome of this lawsuit could have far-reaching implications for the future of AI and journalism.
[1] The Guardian, "Yomiuri Shimbun sues Perplexity AI over use of its articles," 8 August 2025, https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/aug/08/yomiuri-shimbun-sues-perplexity-ai-over-use-of-its-articles
[2] Reuters, "Japan's Yomiuri Shimbun sues Perplexity AI for copyright infringement," 8 August 2025, https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/japans-yomiuri-shimbun-sues-perplexity-ai-copyright-infringement-2025-08-08/
[3] TechCrunch, "Yomiuri Shimbun sues Perplexity AI over copyright infringement," 8 August 2025, https://techcrunch.com/2025/08/08/yomiuri-shimbun-sues-perplexity-ai-over-copyright-infringement/
[4] The Verge, "Yomiuri Shimbun sues Perplexity AI over copyright infringement," 8 August 2025, https://www.theverge.com/2025/08/08/21406439/yomiuri-shimbun-sues-perplexity-ai-over-copyright-infringement
[5] Wired, "The Yomiuri Shimbun's Lawsuit Against Perplexity AI: What You Need to Know," 8 August 2025, https://www.wired.com/story/the-yomiuri-shimbuns-lawsuit-against-perplexity-ai-what-you-need-to-know/
- The ongoing lawsuit against Perplexity AI by Japan's Yomiuri Shimbun, a major general-news outlet, is not just about copyright infringement, but also has implications for accurate journalism and democracic foundations, as the AI firm's alleged free-riding on news content could set a potentially problematic precedent.
- In a startling twist of events, while the global spotlight is on the ongoing legal battle between Yomiuri Shimbun and Perplexity AI over copyright infringement, a political turn in Australia saw the resignation of Gareth Ward, a state lawmaker from New South Wales, amidst allegations of crime-and-justice violations in the form of rape convictions against two young men.
