Overview
- Reti Televisive Italiane (RTI) and Medusa Film, both part of Mediaset, filed a complaint on December 3 with the Civil Court of Rome against Perplexity AI.
- The filing alleges large‑scale, unauthorized use of audiovisual and cinematic works to train Perplexity’s generative systems.
- The plaintiffs request immediate stop orders, recognition of civil liability, damages, and a daily penalty for any further violations.
- Perplexity has not issued a public comment on the Italian case, though CEO Aravind Srinivas has previously said the company does not train models on publishers’ content and has touted a revenue‑sharing Publisher Program.
- The action is described as the first reported Italian case over AI training and joins U.S., U.K., and Japan challenges involving groups such as Encyclopaedia Britannica, Merriam‑Webster, the BBC, Asahi Shimbun, and Nikkei.