Perplexity Scores Victory as Appeals Court Overturns Amazon Shopping Agent Ban

A U.S. appeals court has reversed a lower court’s decision that temporarily prohibited Perplexity’s AI-powered shopping agents from accessing the Amazon platform, marking a significant win for open access to digital marketplaces.

The dispute began in November when Amazon sent Perplexity an “aggressive legal threat” demanding it prevent users of its Comet browser from using AI assistants to shop on Amazon. The e-commerce giant argued that these actions violated federal hacking laws, claiming unauthorized computer access. Perplexity countered that its users—not the company itself—were accessing the platform and that they should have the freedom to choose their preferred AI tools.

The appeals court agreed with Perplexity, ruling that Amazon was unlikely to succeed in proving its claims and that blocking access based on how users chose to interact with the site would be overly restrictive. As a Perplexity spokesperson noted after the decision: “Perplexity will continue to fight for the right of internet users to choose whatever AI they want.”

Amazon has stated it respectfully disagrees with the ruling and is evaluating its next steps, emphasizing that businesses should have control over how third-party applications interact with their platforms. The company maintains that allowing unrestricted access would undermine its ability to manage user experiences and protect its marketplace.

The case represents a novel legal challenge in the age of generative AI, as courts grapple with questions about who is responsible for actions taken by AI agents—the developers or the users? This decision sets an early precedent for how similar disputes may be resolved in the future.