CNN filed a lawsuit against AI search startup Perplexity in a New York court on Thursday, May 28, 2026, alleging that Perplexity’s tools generate “verbatim” copies of CNN articles and provide users with content locked behind CNN’s subscription paywall.
The lawsuit accuses Perplexity — which operates an AI “answer” engine and the AI browser Comet — of ignoring CNN’s attempts to identify and block Perplexity’s web crawlers from scraping its content without permission. “Human beings report, research, write, edit, and create the content that Perplexity takes without permission or compensation,” the lawsuit states.
CNN says it explored a content-sharing arrangement with Perplexity, including a potential deal to offer its content through Perplexity’s Comet Plus subscription in October 2025. However, the two parties failed to reach a final agreement, with CNN citing disagreements over limits on how Perplexity could use CNN content in its answers to users. CNN walked away from negotiations in November 2025 and subsequently sent Perplexity a letter demanding it stop using CNN’s content and trademarks without authorization. According to the lawsuit, Perplexity did not respond.
CNN is seeking financial damages and a permanent injunction against Perplexity’s alleged conduct. In response, Perplexity spokesperson Jesse Dwyer offered a brief statement: “You can’t copyright facts.”
The case adds CNN to a growing list of media organizations that have taken legal action against AI companies over content use. The outcome could have implications for how AI platforms are permitted to access, reproduce, and monetize journalism — particularly content behind paywalls.
Source: The Verge