Key facts
- A federal appeals court overturned an order blocking Perplexity's AI shopping tools on Amazon.
- The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Amazon is unlikely to succeed on its claim that Perplexity violated the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act.
- The court determined that users, not Perplexity, accessed Amazon through its AI agent, Comet.
- Amazon had previously sued Perplexity, alleging its AI browser violated terms of service and accessed accounts without authorization.
- A federal judge had previously granted Amazon a preliminary injunction, temporarily blocking Perplexity's AI shopping tools.
A federal appeals court has overturned an order that had blocked Perplexity's AI shopping tools on Amazon, marking an early victory for the startup in a significant legal dispute concerning AI agents and online commerce.
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Amazon is unlikely to succeed in its claim that Perplexity violated the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, a federal anti-hacking law. The court stated that for a plaintiff to succeed on a CFAA claim, they must demonstrate intentional, unauthorized access to a protected computer that results in a loss of at least $5,000 within a one-year period.
The court's decision highlighted that Amazon's users, rather than Perplexity itself, were accessing the platform through Perplexity's agentic AI browser, Comet. Comet is designed to browse websites, log into accounts, and make purchases on behalf of users.