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Does Perplexity buy business data?

By SourceX Editorial · Updated

Short answer

Perplexity runs a confirmed Publishers' Program that shares advertising revenue with media partners including Fortune, Time, Der Spiegel and the Los Angeles Times, launched in July 2024 after plagiarism accusations, and later expanded with a $42.5 million Comet Plus revenue-share initiative. At the same time, Perplexity faces active copyright lawsuits from News Corp's Dow Jones and New York Post, and from Japan's Nikkei and Asahi Shimbun, over unlicensed use of their content.

The Publishers' Program#

CNBC and The Verge reported Perplexity launched its Publishers' Program in July 2024, giving partners like Time, Fortune, Der Spiegel, Entrepreneur, The Texas Tribune and WordPress.com a double-digit percentage revenue share plus access to its Enterprise Pro tier.

Fortune reported in 2025 that Perplexity had expanded this with revenue-sharing partnerships including Le Monde and the Los Angeles Times, and a $42.5 million fund for its Comet Plus program, where publishers can receive 80% of subscription revenue.

Ongoing lawsuits#

Court filings show News Corp's Dow Jones and NYP Holdings sued Perplexity in the Southern District of New York (filed October 2024) alleging massive illegal copying of their content.

Fortune reported Nikkei and Asahi Shimbun filed a separate suit in 2025 seeking ¥2.2 billion ($15 million) each over alleged copying and circumvention of technical copy protections.

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What this means for a business#

Perplexity's revenue-share model shows one way a content owner can get paid, a percentage of usage-driven revenue, but it followed public accusations of unauthorized use, not a proactive licensing offer.

A business evaluating any such deal should insist on clarity about what 'revenue share' is calculated against, how usage is tracked, and whether personal or confidential details can be excluded before anything is shared.

SourceX and Perplexity#

SourceX is not affiliated with Perplexity. This page summarizes public reports; it does not mean Perplexity buys data through SourceX.

Frequently asked questions

What is Perplexity's Publishers' Program?

A revenue-sharing program launched in July 2024, paying media partners a double-digit percentage of ad revenue when their content appears in Perplexity's answers.

Is Perplexity being sued over content use?

Yes, by Dow Jones and the New York Post (filed 2024) and by Nikkei and Asahi Shimbun (reported 2025), both alleging unauthorized copying of their content.

What is Comet Plus?

A $42.5 million Perplexity initiative where partner publishers can receive 80% of a new subscription tier's revenue, per Fortune's 2025 reporting.

Sources

Public sources, checked 2026-10-09. SourceX is not affiliated with the organizations named.

  1. Perplexity launched its Publishers' Program in July 2024 with a double-digit revenue share cnbc.com
  2. Nikkei and Asahi Shimbun sued Perplexity seeking ¥2.2 billion each; Comet Plus revenue-share details fortune.com
  3. Dow Jones and NYP Holdings' lawsuit against Perplexity alleging illegal copying of content storage.courtlistener.com

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