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US Appeals Court Lifts Amazon Ban on Perplexity AI Shopping Assistant
The U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals overturned a preliminary injunction that had barred Perplexity's Comet AI shopping assistant from accessing Amazon’s platform. The court concluded that the users, not Perplexity, accessed Amazon under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, making Amazon unlikely to succeed on its claim of unauthorized access. The dispute began in November 2025 when Amazon sued Perplexity over alleged covert access to customer accounts via the Comet browser. A federal judge in California had granted a temporary injunction in March 2026. After the appeals court vacated the injunction, the underlying lawsuit was sent back to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California for further proceedings. Perplexity said it will continue to fight for users’ right to choose any AI, quoting spokesperson Jesse Dwyer: “Perplexity will continue to fight for the right of internet users to choose whatever AI they want.” Amazon stated it remains confident and is considering further legal steps. The ruling is the first appellate decision on whether agentic AI tools can legally access online platforms, carrying broad implications for the fast‑growing field of autonomous AI agents.
Entities
9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals · Amazon.com Inc. · Amazon.com, Inc. · Comet browser · Computer Fraud and Abuse Act · Jesse Dwyer · Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals · Perplexity · Perplexity (AI startup) · Perplexity AI
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.
- [● 3 SOURCES] The appeals court said it was Perplexity’s users, not the company, who accessed Amazon’s platform under the law. kelo.com · ca.news.yahoo.com · china.timesofnews.com
- [● 3 SOURCES] The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals overturned a lower court ruling that temporarily barred Perplexity from using its AI shopping tools on Amazon. kelo.com · ca.news.yahoo.com · china.timesofnews.com
- [● 3 SOURCES] Perplexity spokesperson Jesse Dwyer said the company will continue to fight for the right of internet users to choose whatever AI they want. kelo.com · ca.news.yahoo.com · china.timesofnews.com
- [● 3 SOURCES] Amazon sued Perplexity in November, accusing the startup of covertly accessing private Amazon customer accounts via its Comet browser and AI agent. kelo.com · ca.news.yahoo.com · china.timesofnews.com
- [● 3 SOURCES] A federal judge in California temporarily blocked Perplexity’s agentic AI on Amazon’s platform in March. kelo.com · ca.news.yahoo.com · china.timesofnews.com
- [● 3 SOURCES] The court determined Amazon was unlikely to succeed on its claim that Perplexity’s AI agents violated the U.S. Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. kelo.com · ca.news.yahoo.com · china.timesofnews.com
- [● 3 SOURCES] Amazon sued Perplexity in November, accusing the startup of covertly accessing private Amazon customer accounts through its Comet browser and AI agent. kelo.com · ca.news.yahoo.com · china.timesofnews.com
- [● 3 SOURCES] The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals overturned a district‑court ruling that temporarily barred Perplexity from using its AI‑powered shopping tools on Amazon’s platform. kelo.com · ca.news.yahoo.com · china.timesofnews.com
- [● 3 SOURCES] The appeals court said it was Perplexity’s users, not Perplexity itself, who accessed Amazon’s platform under the law. kelo.com · ca.news.yahoo.com · china.timesofnews.com
- [● 3 SOURCES] A federal judge in California temporarily blocked Perplexity in March from using its agentic AI on Amazon’s platform, citing strong evidence of a CFAA violation. kelo.com · ca.news.yahoo.com · china.timesofnews.com