Ninth Circuit overturns ban on Perplexity’s Comet browser
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals vacated a federal judge’s order that barred Perplexity’s Comet browser from accessing Amazon’s website. The decision, issued on 4 Aug, means the browser can now operate, though the court noted that the user, not the software, initiates any interaction with Amazon’s servers. Amazon’s request for a rehearing was denied in September, and the broader lawsuit remains unresolved.
Key facts
- Vacating order issued on 4 Aug by the Ninth Circuit.
- Initial injunction placed by a San Francisco federal judge.
- Court’s reasoning: user actions, not the AI, trigger access to Amazon.
- Amazon’s rehearing request denied in September.
- Case remains open after appellate ruling.
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Why it matters
The ruling clarifies legal responsibility for AI agents that act on user commands.
What changed
First published from Fortune and MIT Technology Review