Perplexity Comet Faces Amazon Ban

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🇬🇧Read original on The Register - AI/ML

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💡Perplexity Comet banned by Amazon court order—critical for AI scraping legality.

⚡ 30-Second TL;DR

What Changed

Amazon secures preliminary injunction against Perplexity Comet

Why It Matters

This case underscores escalating legal battles over AI data scraping from major platforms. AI companies relying on web access may need to rethink data acquisition strategies amid rising enforcement by tech giants.

What To Do Next

Review your AI agent's robots.txt compliance and Amazon ToS before scraping.

Who should care:Founders & Product Leaders

🧠 Deep Insight

Web-grounded analysis with 4 cited sources.

🔑 Enhanced Key Takeaways

•The court distinguished between user consent and platform authorization as separate legal requirements, establishing that a user granting login credentials to an AI agent does not automatically authorize the agent to access the platform itself—a precedent that could reshape how AI agents interact with password-protected services across the industry.
•Amazon implemented a technical barrier to block Comet's access in August 2025, but Perplexity released a software update within 24 hours to circumvent it, demonstrating an escalating technical arms race between the companies before the legal action.
•The preliminary injunction was stayed for seven days to allow Perplexity to appeal, and the judge denied Perplexity's request for a $1 billion bond, finding that the injunction does not threaten Perplexity's entire business since Comet can still operate on all other websites.
•Amazon had warned Perplexity at least five times starting in November 2024 to cease the practice, and sent a cease-and-desist letter before filing the lawsuit in November 2025, establishing a documented pattern of escalating enforcement attempts.

🔮 Future ImplicationsAI analysis grounded in cited sources

AI agents will face strict authorization requirements from major e-commerce platforms, potentially requiring explicit platform partnerships rather than user-initiated access.

The court's separation of user consent from platform authorization creates a legal framework that other retailers are likely to adopt, forcing AI agent developers to negotiate formal agreements with platforms.

The agentic commerce market may consolidate around platform-approved partners, limiting the competitive landscape for independent AI shopping assistants.

If courts consistently require platform authorization, only AI agents with formal partnerships will have legal access to major retailers, reducing the viability of third-party shopping agents.

⏳ Timeline

2024-11

Amazon begins warning Perplexity to stop Comet's unauthorized access to Amazon accounts

2025-08

Amazon implements technical barrier to block Comet's access; Perplexity circumvents it within 24 hours

2025-11

Amazon sues Perplexity for computer fraud and unauthorized access under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act

2026-03

U.S. District Judge Maxine Chesney grants Amazon preliminary injunction barring Comet from accessing password-protected Amazon accounts; injunction stayed for seven days to allow appeal

📎 Sources (4)

Factual claims are grounded in the sources below. Forward-looking analysis is AI-generated interpretation.

🇬🇧Read original article on The Register - AI/ML

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