Reddit has filed a lawsuit in a New York federal court against artificial intelligence startup Perplexity, accusing it of unlawfully scraping Reddit data to train its AI-based “answer engine.” The complaint also names three other companies — Lithuania-based Oxylabs, Russia-based AWMProxy, and Texas-based SerpApi — alleging that they bypassed Reddit’s data protection systems to extract massive amounts of content.
According to Reddit, Perplexity “desperately needs” the stolen data to strengthen its search capabilities. The platform, home to thousands of user-driven “subreddit” communities, said its content is one of the most frequently cited sources for AI-generated responses. Reddit has legally licensed its data to OpenAI, Google, and other companies, but claims Perplexity acted without authorization.
The lawsuit follows similar cases across the tech industry involving unauthorized use of copyrighted materials to train AI models. Reddit had previously sued Anthropic in June for similar conduct. Perplexity rejected the accusations, calling its methods “principled and responsible.” Meanwhile, Reddit’s chief legal officer Ben Lee accused AI firms of engaging in “industrial-scale data laundering.”
Reddit is seeking financial damages and a court order preventing Perplexity from continuing to use its content.