Tech

Amazon Wins Court Order to Block Perplexity's AI Shopping Agent

Amazon won a federal temporary injunction to block Perplexity’s Comet AI browser from scraping its site, ruling the tool accessed Amazon with user direction but without authorization. The decision, issued by U.S. District Judge Maxine Chesney in the Northern District of California, includes a one-week stay to allow an appeal.

📅 March 10, 2026
⏱️ 2 min read
Amazon Wins Court Order to Block Perplexity's AI Shopping Agent

Key Takeaways

  • Amazon obtained a federal temporary injunction blocking Perplexity's Comet from scraping Amazon
  • Judge Maxine Chesney ruled Perplexity accessed Amazon at user direction but without authorization
  • The order includes a one-week stay to allow Perplexity to appeal
  • Amazon says it spent more than $5,000 responding to the issue and developed tools to block Comet

People Involved

  • Maxine Chesney U.S. District Judge, Northern District of California
  • Maxine Tagay Amazon spokesperson

Entities Involved

  • Amazon.com, Inc. (AMZN) E-commerce and tech platform
  • Perplexity (Comet browser) AI shopping assistant platform
  • OpenAI's ChatGPT AI shopping agents blocked by Amazon
  • Rufus Amazon's shopping assistant tool
  • U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California Judicial district issuing injunction

MarketMoodz Analysis

The injunction highlights how AI-enabled shopping tools interact with retailer sites, signaling a greater risk for startups that rely on scraping or unpermitted access to gather product data. For investors, Perplexity’s growth outlook faces an immediate hurdle as access to Amazon’s catalog could be at risk or require costly negotiated licenses and on-platform integrations.

Historically, this fits into a broader pattern of tech platforms policing data access and AI traffic to protect ad impressions and user experience. As courts weigh data access against innovation, expect a wave of similar cases that could shape how AI agents operate, with consequences for funding rounds, go-tos for on-site access, and platform policies.

What to watch next: the timing and scope of Perplexity’s appeal, any further court opinions clarifying access rights, and Amazon’s next steps on ad-system integrity and partner tools like Rufus.

Source: Original Article

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