Archive · 5 Aug 2026
US Appeals Court Overturns Ban on Perplexity's AI Shopping Tools
Perplexity is a company that makes smart computer programs called AI.
These programs can act like helpers and shop on websites for people.
Amazon did not want Perplexity's AI helpers to shop on its website.
Amazon asked a court to make Perplexity stop, and a lower court agreed for a while.
But on Tuesday, a higher court called the appeals court changed that decision.
The appeals court said Amazon probably would not win its case.
Amazon said the AI broke a law about getting into computers without permission.
The appeals court said that argument was not likely to succeed.
This is the first time an appeals court has decided a case about AI helpers using websites, so it matters a lot for the future.
Amazon says it disagrees with the decision and is thinking about what to do next.
A U.S. appeals court on Tuesday overturned a ruling that had temporarily barred Perplexity from using its AI-powered agentic shopping tools on Amazon's platform.
The San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said Amazon was unlikely to succeed on its claim that Perplexity's AI agents violated a federal computer-hacking law.
The decision is the first by a federal appeals court addressing whether AI agents acting on behalf of users can legally access online platforms.
The legal dispute has broad implications for the fast-growing field of agentic AI tools that can browse, shop and transact across the web.
Amazon said it respectfully disagrees with the decision on the preliminary injunction, remains confident in its case, and is evaluating its next steps.
- Who
- Amazon and Perplexity, before the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals
- What
- An appeals court overturned a temporary ban that barred Perplexity from using its AI-powered agentic shopping tools on Amazon's platform
- When
- Tuesday; the exact date is not specified in the article
- Where
- The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, based in San Francisco
- Why
- The court found Amazon was unlikely to succeed in proving that Perplexity's AI agents violated a federal computer-hacking law
Supporters of Agentic AI Access
Amazon and Platform Control
AI agents' access to online platforms
Supporters of Agentic AI Access
AI agents acting on behalf of users can legally access online platforms, as the appeals court found Amazon was unlikely to prove a computer-hacking violation.
Amazon and Platform Control
Amazon argues Perplexity's AI agents violated a federal computer-hacking law by accessing its platform and says it remains confident in its case.
Implications for the agentic AI industry
Supporters of Agentic AI Access
The first federal appeals court ruling on this question supports the fast-growing field of agentic AI tools that can browse, shop and transact across the web.
Amazon and Platform Control
Amazon's continued challenge signals that platforms may still seek to restrict automated access by AI agents, keeping the legal question open.
- Parties
- Amazon vs. Perplexity
- Court
- 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, San Francisco
- Ruling
- Temporary ban on Perplexity's AI shopping tools overturned
- Legal claim
- Alleged violation of federal computer-hacking law; court said claim was unlikely to succeed
- Significance
- First federal appeals court ruling on whether AI agents can legally access online platforms
- Amazon's response
- Respectfully disagrees with the decision and is evaluating next steps