Encyclopedia Britannica And Merriam-Webster Sue Perplexity

Encyclopedia Britannica and its subsidiary Merriam-Webster have filed a lawsuit against Perplexity AI, accusing the company of misusing their content in its artificial intelligence–powered “answer engine”. The case was lodged in a New York federal court on Wednesday.

According to the complaint, Perplexity copied material from their websites without authorisation and redirected web traffic away from their platforms by presenting AI-generated summaries. Britannica and Merriam-Webster argue that this practice not only infringes on their copyrights but also undercuts their revenue streams.

The lawsuit claims that Perplexity’s “answer engine” — designed to search the internet and generate summaries for users — effectively “free rides” on their work by repackaging content from Britannica and Merriam-Webster. The companies also allege trademark violations, saying Perplexity has wrongly attributed fabricated AI content to them, potentially harming their reputations.

Representatives for Perplexity, as well as attorneys for Britannica and Merriam-Webster, did not immediately provide comment on the matter.

This case adds to a growing list of legal battles between AI companies and content creators. Perplexity is already facing lawsuits from News Corp, Dow Jones, and the New York Post, who have raised similar claims of unauthorised use of their journalism.

Britannica and Merriam-Webster are seeking monetary damages, though the exact amount has not been disclosed. They are also asking the court to issue an order preventing Perplexity from further using their content without permission.