Amazon Wins Court Order Blocking Perplexity AI Shopping Bots

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3.11.2026

Quick Facts

U.S. District Judge Maxine Chesney granted Amazon a temporary injunction blocking Perplexity’s Comet AI browser from scraping its website
Amazon spent more than $5,000 responding to the issue and warned Perplexity at least five times starting in November 2024
The ruling includes a weeklong stay allowing Perplexity to appeal, with broader implications for the $350 billion digital advertising market

Amazon secured a temporary court order blocking Perplexity AI’s shopping bot from accessing its website. U.S. District Judge Maxine Chesney ruled that Amazon provided strong evidence that Perplexity’s Comet browser accessed the site without authorization.

The ruling marks an early legal milestone in agentic commerce. AI assistants are increasingly browsing, comparing and buying products on behalf of consumers.

Amazon filed suit under the federal Computer Fraud and Abuse Act and a California computer fraud statute. The company accused Perplexity of disguising Comet’s automated sessions as regular Google Chrome browser traffic.

Amazon warned Perplexity to stop at least five times starting in November 2024. When Amazon deployed a technical block in August 2025, Perplexity pushed a software update within 24 hours to circumvent it.

The company submitted undisputed evidence that it spent more than $5,000 responding to the issue. Amazon employees worked numerous hours developing tools to block Comet from accessing private customer tools.

Amazon spokesperson Maxine Tagay called the preliminary injunction an important step to maintain a trusted shopping experience for customers. Perplexity responded that it will continue to fight for internet users’ right to choose any AI they want.

The case carries significant market implications. Widespread adoption of AI agent tools could disrupt the $350 billion U.S. digital advertising market. Amazon generated $68.6 billion in advertising revenue in 2025.

Perplexity was recently valued at $20 billion and has outlined plans to reshape web search with AI-powered tools. Notably, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos is a personal investor in Perplexity.

Amazon has broadly locked down its shopping sites from AI agents. The company blocks dozens of agents, including OpenAI’s ChatGPT, while investing in its homegrown Rufus shopping assistant.

Amazon updated its Business Solutions Agreement effective March 4, 2026. The new terms formally require all AI agents to identify themselves when accessing Amazon’s services.

Agentic shoppers could represent $190 billion to $385 billion in U.S. e-commerce spending by 2030. Roughly 23% of Americans made purchases using AI in the past month.

If the injunction stands, it may set precedent that platforms can refuse access to AI agents even when users have explicitly authorized it. The weeklong stay allows Perplexity to appeal the order.