Key holding or allegation
Plaintiff allegations only; first oral hearing reported 26 May 2026 and no merits judgment identified by the cutoff.
Why it matters
One of Japan's first major media-versus-generative-AI copyright actions.
Facts
Yomiuri group companies allege unauthorised use of newspaper articles through Perplexity's generative-AI search service and seek injunction and damages.
Issues before the court
Whether copying/storage/retrieval/output uses infringe Japanese copyright and related rights.
What the court did not decide
No judicial interpretation of Article 30-4 or final infringement holding should be inferred.
Procedural timeline
Tokyo District Court
Complaint filed: Yomiuri group companies filed claims against Perplexity over alleged unauthorised use of newspaper articles through its generative-AI search service.
Tokyo District Court
First oral hearing: First oral hearing reported; Perplexity contested the proceeding, including threshold issues.