Reddit alleges the two companies conspired to illegally bypass security measures to scrape copyrighted forum content from Google search results.
The ruling marks a significant step in the legal battle over how AI infrastructure interacts with protected data on the open web.
The case is pivotal for Reddit as it seeks to force AI companies into formal licensing agreements to protect its revenue and the privacy of its users.
Reddit argued that unauthorized scraping prevents the platform from honoring its commitment to delete user data, noting that millions of posts are removed monthly but continue to appear in Perplexity AI’s results.
The court found it plausible that Reddit’s existing data licenses with partners like Google allow for the use of anti-circumvention technology to block malicious scrapers, even if that technology was developed after the agreements were signed.
As the litigation moves into the discovery phase, where both sides exchange evidence, the court will examine whether Reddit formally authorized Google to protect its content in search results.
While the judge dismissed secondary claims of unfair competition, the core copyright dispute remains.
If Reddit succeeds, it could gain the power to secure injunctions that block AI scrapers from accessing its data through third-party search engines and force the deletion of previously scraped information.