# US 9th Circuit overturns Amazon's injunction against Perplexity's Comet AI browser, ruling the CFAA does not bar AI agents from accessing websites > The US Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit vacated a preliminary injunction on August 4 that had barred Perplexity AI's Comet browser from accessing Amazon's online store; the appeals court ruled that users, not Perplexity, access Amazon's servers under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, a distinction that has broad implications for AI agents that browse on users' behalf **Meta:** type: event · date: 2026-08-04 · heads: 誰が決めるのか, 何が壊れたか · 6 takes · 4 lenses · 2 regions ## Summary The US 9th Circuit Court of Appeals vacated on August 4 a preliminary injunction that Amazon had won against Perplexity AI's Comet browser, a tool that lets users shop on Amazon through an AI interface. The court ruled that the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act does not apply because it is the [user](/ja/entity/united-states), not Perplexity, who technically accesses Amazon's servers when Comet is operating. The dispute began in November 2025, when Amazon won a district-court injunction barring Comet from the platform. The 9th Circuit's decision allows Perplexity to resume Comet's Amazon operations pending any further appeal. The ruling sets a CFAA precedent that distinguishes between an AI developer and the user on whose behalf the agent acts, a distinction that could govern how courts assess the legality of AI agents broadly. ## The split US tech and legal outlets differ on emphasis. Court reporters (Courthouse News) focus on the procedural reversal. Freedom-tech and crypto outlets (TFTC) frame the ruling as a rights win for AI developers. Consumer tech press (Engadget) traces the November 2025 origin of the dispute and frames it as the opening round of a wider platform-versus-AI-agent conflict. No coverage was found from Amazon directly defending its original CFAA argument; the company has not yet commented publicly on the 9th Circuit decision per the feed. ## By the numbers - November 2025, when Amazon first won an injunction against Perplexity's Comet shopping tool - 1, the legal distinction at the center of the ruling: user versus developer as the party accessing a server under the CFAA - 9th Circuit, the US federal appeals court covering California and the western states, whose rulings on tech cases often set de facto national standards until the Supreme Court intervenes ## Why it matters The ruling creates a legal framework for AI agents that browse commercial platforms: as long as the human user authorises the action, the developer is not the party "accessing" the server, so CFAA-based injunctions against the developer may not hold. Platforms that want to block AI shopping agents will need a different legal theory. The case also concerns Amazon specifically, whose marketplace controls a large share of US e-commerce and has strong incentives to restrict competitors' AI tooling. ## What to watch - Whether Amazon appeals to a full 9th Circuit panel or seeks Supreme Court review - Whether other e-commerce platforms or social networks cite Amazon's CFAA strategy and face the same circuit-court test - Whether the district court issues a new injunction on different grounds after the 9th Circuit's remand - Congressional or FTC scrutiny of AI agent access to commercial platforms in the wake of the ruling ## Regional takes (batched by bias / lens) ### US federal court wire; first verified report confirming the 9th Circuit lifted the block on Perplexity's AI shopping assistant, with the ruling's procedural posture and court citation - **Courthouse News Service** (United States, en) — Courthouse News reported that the US 9th Circuit Court of Appeals lifted the preliminary injunction that had blocked Perplexity's Comet shopping tool from accessing Amazon's online store; the court found a federal district judge had previously erred in granting Amazon's CFAA-based injunction, and ruled the block was improper. > "A federal judge previously blocked Perplexity's Comet shopping tool from accessing Amazon's online store without authorization." Source: https://www.courthousenews.com/ninth-circuit-lifts-block-on-ai-powered-shopping-assistant/ ### Crypto and freedom-tech outlet; carries the CFAA legal theory in full, explaining that the Ninth Circuit's ruling turns on whether the user or the developer is the entity accessing the server, a distinction that defines whether AI browser agents can operate legally - **TFTC** (United States, en) — TFTC explained the Ninth Circuit's reasoning: because users, not Perplexity, access Amazon's servers when Comet is running, the CFAA does not apply to Perplexity as the developer; the piece noted this sets a precedent relevant to any AI agent or browser that acts on a user's behalf and argued it matters for 'every freedom-tech builder.' > "The Ninth Circuit ruled Perplexity's Comet browser doesn't violate the CFAA because users, not the developer, access Amazon's servers." Source: https://www.tftc.io/ninth-circuit-cfaa-amazon-perplexity-comet-browser-ruling ### Consumer tech daily; provides the November 2025 origin of the Amazon-Perplexity dispute and frames the 9th Circuit ruling as the outcome of a months-long legal fight over AI shopping tools - **Engadget** (United States, en) — Engadget reported that Perplexity successfully overturned Amazon's injunction on its AI shopping bot; the piece provided the earliest comprehensive timeline, noting the dispute between Amazon and Perplexity began in November 2025 and placed the ruling in the context of growing tension between AI-agent developers and e-commerce platforms that restrict automated access. > "Amazon's public fight with Perplexity over online shopping started in November 2025." Source: https://www.engadget.com/2230471/perplexity-has-successfully-overturned-amazon-injunction-on-its-ai-shopping-bot/ ### unlabelled - **Dataconomy** (Global, en) — Source: https://dataconomy.com/2026/08/05/perplexity-amazon-injunction-court-ruling/ - **Crypto Briefing** (Global, en) — Source: https://cryptobriefing.com/court-overturns-amazon-injunction-perplexity-ai/ - **Eastern Herald** (Global, en) — Source: https://easternherald.com/2026/08/05/perplexity-comet-amazon-ninth-circuit-ruling/ ## Across the graph - Entities: United States, Perplexity AI --- Canonical: https://rbtfl.xyz/ja/n/perplexity-amazon-cfaa-0805