James Grimmelmann

Tessler Family Professor of Digital and Information Law

James Grimmelmann, professor of digital and information law at Cornell University, is an expert in content moderation, search engine regulation and online governance.

Grimmelmann says:

“The big issue here is precisely the question that the New York Times asks: how is Perplexity getting data on New York Times articles? If it is from the Times' website, then the Times has a plausible case under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act and other laws on access to computer systems.

“If, for example, Perplexity is creating lots of free accounts to get around the paywall, that could be a serious issue under current precedents. But that's speculation, and it may be that Perplexity has a more innocent explanation, such as that it is summarizing quotes that other people have posted online when linking to Times stories.

“Given Perplexity's previous run-ins with other media companies, the Times may have good reason to be skeptical of alternative explanations, but we don't yet have the information we'd need to know for sure.”