A US appeals court has overturned a temporary injunction that barred Perplexity from using its AI shopping agents on Amazon. The 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco ruled that users, not the AI company, accessed Amazon through the agents, making a violation of federal computer fraud law unlikely. The court found that Amazon’s claim that Perplexity’s AI agents violated a federal computer fraud law was not likely to succeed. The decision marks the first ruling by a US federal appeals court on the legality of AI agents accessing online platforms on behalf of users. According to Reuters, the court emphasized that the law prohibits accessing computers without permission, but the key factor was who accessed Amazon’s platform—users, not Perplexity itself. The ruling supports Perplexity’s argument that AI agents should have the same rights as human users when interacting with online platforms. Amazon had sued Perplexity in November, accusing it of covertly accessing private Amazon customer accounts through its AI agent. The company argued that the AI agents posed security risks and ignored repeated demands to stop. Perplexity called the lawsuit baseless, claiming it was an attempt to prevent users from using its AI shopping tools. The case remains unresolved, with Amazon still confident in its legal position. The underlying dispute highlights the broader implications for agentic systems, which plan, reason, and carry out tasks with limited human oversight. Amazon has not accepted the loss, with a spokesperson stating the company remains confident and is evaluating its next steps. Perplexity’s CEO called Amazon’s actions 'bullying,' arguing that agents acting on behalf of users should have the same rights as human users. The business ties between the two companies add another layer to the dispute, as Perplexity is an AWS customer with significant commitments, and Jeff Bezos is among its investors. The outcome of this case could shape the future of how AI agents interact with online platforms.
Source: thedecoder
