Home / Technology / AI Shopping Tool Dispute: Court Halts Amazon Block
AI Shopping Tool Dispute: Court Halts Amazon Block
18 Mar
Summary
- A U.S. appeals court has paused a ruling blocking Perplexity AI's tool.
- Amazon had sued Perplexity AI for allegedly misusing customer accounts.
- The appeals court will consider Perplexity's longer-term request to continue.
A U.S. appeals court has temporarily halted a ruling that prevented Perplexity AI from utilizing its AI shopping tool on Amazon's e-commerce platform. This decision by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals occurred on Monday, March 17, 2026. The court is now considering Perplexity's request for an extended pause to allow for its full appeal against the district court's initial order.
Amazon filed a lawsuit against Perplexity in November 2025, alleging that the AI startup's "agentic" shopping tool, through its Comet browser, improperly accessed private Amazon customer accounts. Amazon claimed that Perplexity disguised automated activity as human browsing and posed security risks to customer data. Perplexity has contested the lawsuit, calling it an attempt to stifle competition and arguing that its AI agents are necessary to navigate Amazon's extensive advertising.
U.S. District Judge Maxine Chesney had initially granted Amazon's request for a preliminary injunction on March 9, 2026. Perplexity argued that blocking its signature product would cause significant harm to the company and consumers. The recent administrative stay granted by the appeals court allows the AI company to continue its operations on Amazon's site while the legal proceedings unfold.
