Amazon Wins Court Order Blocking Perplexity’s AI Shopping Agent From Its Store
A federal judge blocked Perplexity's Comet AI agent from accessing Amazon, ruling it violated authorization rules even when users had granted permission.
A federal judge in San Francisco handed Amazon a preliminary injunction against Perplexity on Tuesday, barring the startup’s AI browser agent from accessing Amazon’s platform to make purchases on behalf of users. Federal Judge Maxine Chesney ruled that Amazon had presented strong evidence Perplexity was accessing password-protected accounts without the company’s authorization — even when users had explicitly granted permission. The injunction takes effect in seven days, giving Perplexity a narrow window to appeal.
What Comet Was Actually Doing
The case centers on Comet, Perplexity’s AI browser agent, which Amazon accused of fraud for two distinct reasons. Comet didn’t disclose to Amazon that it was acting on behalf of a real person during transactions, and Perplexity continued operating the agent even after Amazon sent formal demands to stop. Under the court order, Perplexity must also delete any Amazon customer data collected through Comet.
Amazon filed the original lawsuit in November 2025. The company argued the agent violated the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act — specifically 18 U.S.C. § 1030(a)(2), which prohibits intentionally accessing a computer without authorization. The judge agreed, at least at the preliminary stage.
Why This Case Matters Beyond Amazon
The ruling lands at a moment when every major AI company is racing to build agents capable of completing real-world tasks — shopping, booking flights, filling out forms — across the web. Amazon itself recently became a significant investor in OpenAI, which has been working on similar agentic shopping features without yet cracking direct checkout. The court’s willingness to issue an injunction here signals something important: user permission does not equal platform permission.
Amazon described the order as “an important step in maintaining a trusted store,” according to a statement provided to The Verge. Perplexity has not said publicly whether it plans to appeal before the seven-day deadline.
The Precedent Taking Shape
AI agents operating autonomously across third-party platforms have been a legal gray area since the technology emerged. Courts had not yet drawn clear lines around what constitutes unauthorized access when the user has technically consented. This ruling gives platforms a template to argue that authorization must come from them directly — not just from the end user. According to Bloomberg, which first reported the court order, the case raises a growing legal question about how far AI agents can go when completing complex tasks on behalf of users.
Whether or not Perplexity appeals, other AI companies building browser agents are now watching this case closely. The era of agents casually accessing any platform a user has credentials for may be shorter than the industry expected.
