Judge blocks Perplexity's AI agents from shopping on Amazon in landmark ruling
11 Sources
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Judge blocks Perplexity's AI agents from shopping on Amazon
A federal judge has issued an order blocking Perplexity's web browser-based AI agents from placing Amazon orders on a user's behalf, as reported earlier by Bloomberg. In a ruling on Monday, US District Judge Maxine Chesney writes that Amazon has "provided strong evidence" that Perplexity's Comet
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Judge Orders Perplexity to Block Its AI Agents from Placing Orders on Amazon
Amazon has secured a major win in its lawsuit against Perplexity. A federal judge has ordered Perplexity to block its AI agents from placing orders on Amazon without permission. In the lawsuit filed in November, Amazon accused Perplexity of using its Comet AI browser to covertly access the Amazon
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Perplexity Comet hurtling toward Amazon ban
Court issues preliminary injunction but delays it to allow an appeal Perplexity's AI browser Comet has been banned from accessing Amazon's website after the e-commerce giant obtained a court-ordered preliminary injunction. But the ban won't take effect immediately. The court on Monday issued an
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Amazon wins order blocking access for Perplexity's AI shopping 'agent'
March 10 (Reuters) - A California federal judge has granted Amazon's (AMZN.O), opens new tab request for a court order that temporarily blocks Perplexity AI from using its artificial-intelligence-powered "agentic" shopping tool on the e-commerce giant's platform. U.S. District Judge Maxine Chesney
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Amazon wins court order to block Perplexity's AI shopping agent
The Perplexity app in the Apple App Store on a smartphone arranged in Washington, DC, US, on Sunday, June 1, 2025. A federal judge temporarily blocked startup Perplexity from accessing Amazon's site with its Comet artificial intelligence browser, according to court filings. Amazon sued Perplexity
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Judge blocks Perplexity's AI bot from shopping on Amazon in early test of agentic commerce
A federal judge in San Francisco granted Amazon a preliminary injunction Monday blocking Perplexity from using its Comet browser's AI agent to access password-protected sections of the Amazon website to shop on behalf of customers. It's an early legal milestone in the fast-moving field of agentic
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Amazon Wins Court Order Blocking Perplexity AI Shopping Agent - Decrypt
Once resolved, the ruling could set precedent for platform control over AI commerce. A federal judge in San Francisco handed Amazon a win this week against Perplexity AI, blocking the startup's Comet browser from making purchases on Amazon on behalf of users -- at least for now. The ruling,
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Amazon Wins Court Order Blocking Perplexity's AI Shopping Bot
The Court said Amazon has provided strong evidence of unauthorised access Amazon, on Monday, reportedly won a court order blocking Perplexity from deploying its artificial intelligence (AI) shopping agents on its e-commerce platform. The decision was said to be given by a California federal judge,
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Amazon Injunction Could Change the Future of Agentic Commerce | PYMNTS.com
The order, handed down Monday by U.S. District Judge Maxine Chesney in Northern California, gives Amazon a near-term win in what is shaping up as one of the first major courtroom tests of agentic commerce. Enforcement was paused for seven days to allow an appeal, and Reuters reported that
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Amazon secures court order blocking Perplexity AI shopping agents - Bloomberg By Investing.com
Investing.com -- Perplexity AI Inc. must temporarily halt its Comet web browser agent from making purchases on behalf of shoppers from Amazon.com Inc.'s online marketplace, following a court ruling this week, according to reporting from Bloomberg. Amazon filed a lawsuit against the artificial
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Amazon wins court order to block Perplexity AI shopping agent: Here's what happened
The order will not take effect immediately. The court has paused enforcement for one week so that Perplexity can file an appeal. A US court has temporarily stopped Perplexity AI from using its AI-powered web browser agent Comet to shop on behalf of users on Amazon. The decision comes after Amazon
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A federal judge issued a preliminary injunction blocking Perplexity's Comet browser from accessing Amazon's website and placing orders on behalf of users. The ruling finds strong evidence that Perplexity violated computer fraud laws by disguising its bot as Google Chrome and accessing user accounts without Amazon's authorization, potentially reshaping the future of AI-powered shopping agents.
Amazon Secures Court Victory Against Perplexity's AI-Powered Shopping Tool
US District Judge Maxine Chesney issued a preliminary injunction on Monday blocking Perplexity's AI agents from accessing Amazon's website and placing orders on behalf of users
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. The ruling represents a significant legal challenge to the emerging agent economy, where AI assistants autonomously perform tasks like online shopping. Chesney wrote that Amazon provided "strong evidence" that Perplexity Comet browser accesses user accounts "without authorization" from the e-commerce giant2
. The court issued an administrative stay for seven days to allow Perplexity to appeal, which the company immediately signaled it would pursue3
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Source: Digit
Lawsuit Centers on Unauthorized Access and Security Risks
Amazon sued Perplexity in November after "repeatedly requesting" that the AI startup stop letting its agents buy products for customers
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. The lawsuit alleged that Perplexity violated computer fraud laws by "intruding" into Amazon's marketplace and user accounts through its Comet browser's agentic shopping feature1
. Amazon accused Perplexity of disguising its bot as Google Chrome to avoid detection and conceal its automated activities1
. The complaint emphasized security risks to customer data, noting that AI agents "can act within protected computer systems, including private customer accounts requiring a password"5
. Before filing the lawsuit, Amazon sent cease-and-desist letters that Perplexity allegedly ignored2
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Source: PC Magazine
Judge Finds Evidence of Computer Fraud Law Violations
In her ruling, Judge Chesney determined that Amazon demonstrated a likelihood of success in proving Perplexity violated federal and state computer fraud laws
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. The judge wrote that Perplexity "accesses with the Amazon user's permission but without authorization by Amazon, the user's password-protected account" and transmits private account information to Perplexity's servers3
. Chesney cited "essentially undisputed evidence" that Amazon spent more than $5,000 responding to the issue, including numerous hours developing tools to block Comet from accessing private customer tools and prevent future unauthorized access5
. The preliminary injunction requires Perplexity to stop its AI agent from accessing Amazon's protected systems and destroy all Amazon website and customer data collected through its agents2
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Implications for Advertising Revenue and the Agent Economy
The case carries significant financial implications beyond site access rules. Amazon earned $68 billion from advertising revenue last year, as brands pay substantial sums for prime visibility across the platform
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. When customers purchase products through AI agents without visiting the web browser interface, that advertising revenue faces potential erosion. Amazon's complaint noted that when AI systems generate automated traffic, "the impressions have to be detected and filtered out before advertisers can be billed," requiring modifications to advertising systems and new detection mechanisms to identify and exclude automated traffic5
. The ruling casts a shadow on the widely hyped agent economy that envisions software agents visiting websites and placing orders on behalf of human users3
. The judge's interpretation suggests automated e-commerce transactions will require negotiation and agreements rather than the tech industry's preference to move fast and break things3
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Source: PYMNTS
Perplexity Vows to Continue Fighting for User Choice
Perplexity maintains that the lawsuit lacks merit and represents a "bald attempt" to block Amazon users from using Comet because AI agents "don't have eyeballs to see the pervasive advertising Amazon bombards its users with"
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. The company stated it "will continue to fight for the right of internet users to choose whatever AI they want"2
. In a blog post responding to the original lawsuit in November, Perplexity argued that a software agent is equivalent to a human employee, contending that Amazon "does not believe in your right to hire labor, to have an assistant or an employee acting on your behalf"3
. Amazon spokesperson Maxine Tagay welcomed the preliminary injunction as "an important step in maintaining a trusted shopping experience for Amazon customers," adding that the company looks forward to continuing its case in court5
. The outcome may influence how other platforms handle shopping bots, as evidenced by eBay's decision earlier this year to update its user agreement to ban such tools3
. As Perplexity pursues its appeal to the US Court of Appeals, the case will test whether customer trust and platform control outweigh arguments for AI-driven consumer choice in the evolving landscape of e-commerce.References
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