A legal dispute over the use of artificial intelligence in online shopping has intensified after Amazon obtained a court order restricting Perplexity from deploying AI-powered shopping agents on its e-commerce platform.
According to reports, a federal judge in California granted Amazon preliminary injunctive relief after finding strong evidence that Perplexity’s bots accessed the platform without proper authorisation. The order will take effect in 7 days.
The ruling was issued by Maxine Chesney, a US District Judge, who stated in court documents that Amazon presented “strong evidence” showing that Perplexity accessed the company’s website through its Comet browser without permission.
Under the order, Perplexity has been instructed not to access or attempt to access Amazon’s e-commerce platform using AI agents. The company must also destroy any data collected from the platform through such access.
In addition, the AI firm has been directed to confirm within 30 days that it has complied with the court’s requirements. The judge also allowed a 7-day window for Perplexity to challenge the decision through an appeal.
According to reports, the company filed an appeal on Tuesday. In a statement, Perplexity said it will continue to “fight for the right of internet users to choose whatever AI they want.”
Amazon responded to the decision by calling it “an important step in maintaining a trusted shopping experience for Amazon customers.”
The dispute between the two companies began earlier. In November 2025, Amazon reportedly sent a cease-and-desist letter to Perplexity, asking the company to stop “evading Amazon’s technological measures” designed to detect and block the Comet browser from displaying products or enabling automated purchases on behalf of users.
Amazon also emphasised that transparency is necessary because it allows service providers to monitor AI agents and restrict “conduct that degrades the customer shopping experience, erodes customer trust, and creates security risks.”
The case highlights growing tensions between e-commerce platforms and AI developers as automated agents increasingly attempt to interact with online marketplaces.
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