# CNN Sues Perplexity Over Alleged Theft of 17,000 Stories, the First AI Copyright Suit by a TV Network

*2026-05-29 10:01 UTC · Technology · 1 min read*

> CNN is suing Perplexity for allegedly scraping 17,000+ stories to feed its AI, the first AI copyright suit by a TV network; Perplexity says facts can't be copyrighted.

CNN filed suit against AI search company Perplexity on Thursday in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, accusing it of scraping and unlawfully distributing more than 17,000 CNN stories, photos and videos. The network says Perplexity copies its journalism in real time and feeds it to large language models to answer user prompts, without sending readers to CNN or paying for access. It is CNN's first AI copyright action and is believed to be the first brought by any television network.

The complaint also alleges trademark violations, claiming Perplexity falsely advertised a continued relationship with CNN by offering a "Comet Plus" tier promising access to CNN's premium content, a relationship CNN says does not exist. The filing notes the two sides tried to negotiate a content licensing deal last year but failed to agree on terms.

Perplexity, which already faces similar suits from The New York Times and the Chicago Tribune, was defiant. "You can't copyright facts," chief communications officer Jesse Dwyer said in a statement, framing the case as part of the wider legal battle over how AI firms use publishers' work.

## Sources

- [cnn.com](https://www.cnn.com/2026/05/28/media/cnn-sues-perplexity-ai-copyright)
- [variety.com](https://variety.com/2026/biz/news/cnn-sues-perplexity-alleging-copyright-infringement-1236760987/)
- [aljazeera.com](https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2026/5/28/cnn-sues-perplexity-alleging-unlawful-distribution-of-copyrighted-content)

---
TechTools News · https://techtools.cz/tools/news/article/1734-cnn-sues-perplexity-over-alleged-theft-of-17-000-stories-the-first-ai-copyright
Česká verze: https://techtools.cz/tools/news/clanek/1807-cnn-zaluje-perplexity-za-udajne-zcizeni-17-000-clanku-jde-o-prvni-zalobu