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Italy - RTI S.p.A. and Medusa Film S.p.A. v Perplexity AI Inc., December 2025

26 Feb 2026 International 2 min read

RTI S.p.A. and Medusa Film S.p.A. v Perplexity AI Inc.

CourtCourt of Rome
CountryItaly
Parties

Claimants: RTI S.p.A. and Medusa Film S.p.A.

Defendant: Perplexity AI Inc.

Date Claim IssuedEarly December 2025
Type of ClaimCivil proceeding
Status as of 23 February 2026Ongoing
Summary of Background Facts

In early December 2025, RTI S.p.A. and Medusa Film S.p.A., both companies within the Mediaset Group, commenced proceedings before the Civil Court of Rome against Perplexity AI Inc., a U.S.-based startup operating in the field of generative artificial intelligence.

The proceedings is the first legal action in Italy specifically aimed at challenging copyright infringements related to the use of artificial intelligence.

Remedies sought

In the statement of claim initiating the proceedings, the plaintiffs requested that the Court of Rome:

  • Ascertains and declares the unlawfulness of the defendant’s conduct;
  • Orders the defendant to refrain from any further unauthorized use of the plaintiffs' proprietary contents;
  • Orders the defendant to pay damages for the exploitation of the plaintiffs’ audiovisual and cinematographic contents, that has already occurred; and
  • Imposes a daily penalty for any future infringement.
Summary of key legal arguments

Claimants’ claim: according to RTI S.p.A. and Medusa Film S.p.A., Perplexity AI Inc. used "without permission and on a large scale" numerous audiovisual and cinematographic works owned by them to train its generative artificial intelligence systems, thereby infringing their copyright.

Defendant’s defence: n/a

Court’s Judgment: n/a

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