Perplexity Wins Landmark Victory Against Amazon at Intersection of Agentic AI and E-Commerce

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals recently ruled in favor of Perplexity in *Amazon v. Perplexity*, a landmark case concerning the application of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA) to agentic AI. The central legal question focused on whether an AI assistant, when directed by a user to perform tasks on a third-party website, constitutes unauthorized access under the CFAA. The court determined that agentic AI functions as a technological tool rather than an independent actor, meaning the user—not the software company—directs the interaction. By rejecting the notion that the AI itself accesses protected computers, the ruling establishes a critical precedent for AI liability, emphasizing that statutory violations require human agency. This decision limits the potential for broad criminal liability in rapidly evolving AI-driven commerce while leaving open questions regarding future developments in AI autonomy and legal personhood.