Italian Television Networks (RTI) and Medusa Film have filed a lawsuit with the Civil Court of Rome against Perplexity AI Inc., a US company operating in generative artificial intelligence.
This is the first legal action in Italy to challenge copyright infringement related to the use of artificial intelligence. According to the two Mediaset Group companies, Perplexity allegedly used their proprietary audiovisual and film content without permission and on a large scale to train its artificial intelligence systems. RTI and Medusa claim this activity constitutes a violation of copyright and other related rights.
With their appeal, RTI and Medusa ask the Court to recognise the unlawfulness of their conduct, block any further unauthorised use of their content, and order Perplexity AI to pay damages. They also request the application of a daily penalty in the event of any future violations.