Ninth Circuit vacates injunction against Perplexity: user-driven AI browsing isn't company 'access' under CFAA

Amazon vs. Perplexity – U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit

The Ninth Circuit vacated a preliminary injunction against Perplexity AI. Amazon had sued over Perplexity's Comet browser, whose AI assistant navigates Amazon.com on a user's behalf. The lower court found Perplexity likely violated the CFAA by accessing Amazon's servers without authorization. The appeals court held that the 'access' was performed by the user, not Perplexity, making Amazon unlikely to succeed on the merits. The case was remanded.

Why it matters: The Ninth Circuit reversed a preliminary injunction against Perplexity, directly addressing a core legal question for AI agents: does an agent acting on a user's behalf on a third-party site constitute 'unauthorized access'? Broad impact, but sourced from a legal database rath...