BBC threatens legal action against Perplexity

The BBC has issued a legal threat to AI startup Perplexity, accusing it of using BBC content without permission to train and power its artificial intelligence tools. The move, first reported by the Financial Times, marks the broadcaster’s first action in defence of its intellectual property against generative AI firms.
In a letter to Perplexity CEO Aravind Srinivas, the BBC demanded the company stop scraping its content, delete any material already collected and proposed a financial settlement. It claims Perplexity’s tools have reproduced BBC content verbatim and serve as direct competitors by diverting users away from its platforms. The broadcaster warned that such practices could undermine public trust, which is particularly significant given its publicly funded status and ongoing funding negotiations with the UK government.
The move places the BBC alongside other major publishers confronting unauthorised use of their material by AI companies. Last year, Dow Jones, owner of The Wall Street Journal, filed a lawsuit against Perplexity for extensive copying of its content. News Corp CEO Robert Thomson has called Perplexity’s approach an “egregious” violation of intellectual property rights, contrasting it with the licensing deals struck by firms like OpenAI. Forbes and other publishers have also raised similar legal objections.
Perplexity, recently valued at around $14 billion and with a reported user base of 30 million, has pushed back strongly against the BBC’s claims. The company accused the broadcaster of being “manipulative and opportunistic” and said it misunderstood both the technology involved and the relevant copyright law. While Perplexity does not train its own large language models – unlike OpenAI, Google or Meta – it does allow users to query those models via its own interface. The BBC argues that its content is still being exploited without consent, threatening the value of its journalism.
The case feeds into wider concerns within the UK’s creative industries over how AI firms use copyrighted material. The UK government has floated the idea of allowing content scraping unless publishers explicitly opt out – a proposal critics say would harm a sector estimated to be worth £125 billion. Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has promised that any legislation would ensure fair compensation for creators.

Source: Noah Wire Services

Noah Fact Check Pro

The draft above was created using the information available at the time the story first
emerged. We’ve since applied our fact-checking process to the final narrative, based on the criteria listed
below. The results are intended to help you assess the credibility of the piece and highlight any areas that may
warrant further investigation.

Freshness check

Score:
10

Notes:
The narrative was first reported by The Guardian on June 20, 2025, and has been corroborated by other reputable outlets, including the Financial Times and Reuters, within the same timeframe. ([ft.com](https://www.ft.com/content/b743d401-dc5d-44b8-9987-825a4ffcf4ca?utm_source=openai), [reuters.com](https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/bbc-threatens-legal-action-against-ai-start-up-perplexity-over-content-scraping-2025-06-20/?utm_source=openai))

Quotes check

Score:
10

Notes:
The direct quotes from Perplexity AI’s CEO, Aravind Srinivas, and BBC representatives are consistent across multiple reputable sources, indicating originality and no signs of reused content. ([ft.com](https://www.ft.com/content/b743d401-dc5d-44b8-9987-825a4ffcf4ca?utm_source=openai), [reuters.com](https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/bbc-threatens-legal-action-against-ai-start-up-perplexity-over-content-scraping-2025-06-20/?utm_source=openai))

Source reliability

Score:
10

Notes:
The narrative originates from The Guardian, a reputable UK-based news organisation, and is corroborated by other established outlets such as the Financial Times and Reuters, lending credibility to the information presented. ([ft.com](https://www.ft.com/content/b743d401-dc5d-44b8-9987-825a4ffcf4ca?utm_source=openai), [reuters.com](https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/bbc-threatens-legal-action-against-ai-start-up-perplexity-over-content-scraping-2025-06-20/?utm_source=openai))

Plausability check

Score:
10

Notes:
The claims of the BBC threatening legal action against Perplexity AI over content scraping are plausible and align with previous actions taken by other media organisations against AI firms for similar issues. ([arstechnica.com](https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2024/10/dow-jones-says-perplexity-is-freeriding-sues-over-copyright-infringement/?utm_source=openai), [us.cnn.com](https://us.cnn.com/2024/10/21/media/rupert-murdoch-dow-jones-perplexity-lawsuit/index.html?utm_source=openai))

Overall assessment

Verdict (FAIL, OPEN, PASS): PASS

Confidence (LOW, MEDIUM, HIGH): HIGH

Summary:
The narrative is fresh, original, and corroborated by multiple reputable sources, with no signs of disinformation or recycled content. The claims are plausible and consistent with previous industry actions, and the sources are reliable, supporting a high confidence in the accuracy of the information presented.