US Court Clears Perplexity’s AI Shopping Agents in Landmark Amazon Case
Synopsis
A federal appeals court overturned a ban on Perplexity's AI shopping tools, setting the first major legal precedent on whether AI agents can access online platforms on users' behalf.
Key Highlights
- A U.S. appeals court overturned a temporary ban on Perplexity’s AI-powered shopping tools on Amazon.
- The court said Amazon was unlikely to succeed in its claim that Perplexity violated federal computer-hacking laws.
- The ruling is the first federal appeals court decision on whether AI agents acting for users can legally access online platforms.
A U.S. appeals court has overturned a ruling that temporarily barred Perplexity from using its AI-powered agentic shopping tools on Amazon’s platform.
The San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Amazon was unlikely to succeed in its claim that Perplexity’s AI agents violated a federal computer-hacking law.
The decision marks the first federal appeals court ruling on whether AI agents acting on behalf of users can legally access online platforms, a case with broader implications for agentic AI tools that browse, shop and complete transactions online.
Amazon and Perplexity Respond
Amazon said it disagreed with the decision and is evaluating its next steps. Perplexity said it would continue fighting for users’ right to choose the AI tools they want to use.
Amazon sued Perplexity in November, alleging the startup used its Comet browser and AI agent to access private Amazon customer accounts, log into shopping accounts and place orders on users’ behalf. Amazon argued the system created security risks and ignored repeated requests to stop.
Perplexity denied the allegations, calling the lawsuit an attempt to prevent Amazon users from using its AI tools.
Appeals Court Overturns Earlier Ruling
A federal judge in California had temporarily blocked Perplexity in March, finding Amazon had presented strong evidence that the AI agent violated the U.S. Computer Fraud and Abuse Act.
The 9th Circuit overturned that order, agreeing with Perplexity that it did not unlawfully access Amazon’s systems. The court said it was Perplexity’s users, not the company itself, who accessed Amazon’s platform under the law.
Source: Reuters
At Inspirepreneurs Magazine, covering entrepreneurship, business failures, and the human stories behind the world's most ambitious founders. She writes at the intersection of strategy and storytelling.
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