The case of CoStar versus Zillow, avenged through its use of watermarked home search site images, has recently come to public eye in the U.S. When CoStar filed its lawsuit on July 30, it accused Zillow, the nation’s leading home search website, of “outrageous” copyright infringement through the use of more than 46,000 CoStar-owned photos. The suit has drawn unprecedented attention, with one press release stating that the case includes claims Zillow is utilizing watermarked images owned by CoStar Group and its competitors, Homes.com, on its sites and Redfin and Realtor.com through its rental listings syndication deals.
CoStar explained in a press release that its CEO, Andy Florance, filed the case following a report suggesting Zillow benefits from decades of CoStar’s work and investments. Florance emphasized that the company is committed to preventing suchints and committing to holding entities involved in the alleged infringements accountable. He reportedly threatened to sue the parties involved, Redfin and Realtor.com, if they were to fail to remove the images immediately.
The suit, which includes copious examples of watermarked images obscured or cropped from Zillow’s sites such as-Zillow.com, Trulia.com, HotPads.com (all owned by Zillow), and Redfin.com and Realtor.com’s property platforms, was also brought against Xceligent Inc., a bankrupt real estate data company, which earned a $500,000 judgment in its own case against Zillow. In 2022, Zillow was ordered to pay $1.9 million to VHT, a photography company responsible for images in a non-listings section of its platform. […] This action was particularly concerning as contemporary real estate searched for alternatives to its listings, as it relies heavily on candidships to attract listings.
The case has triggered further legal confrontations. postings from Compass, the nation’s largest brokerage firm promoting private listings, recently brought Zillow in for a similar lawsuit in June 2023, arguing that the platform incorrectly limits private listings to publicly marketable properties. The discrepancy in claims suggests both parties are challenging Zillow’s policies that criminalize the sale of non-public properties but allow for the listing of private ones. This has triggered a tenseManager of the real estate industry. “There might eventually be a more positive stance in terms ofación editorial prioritize茄子 managing the competition,” said Florance, who later redefine his stance by referring to the 가능 narrative about redfin and realtor.com as an “anticompetitive cartel.”
CoStar, however, still stands on its guard, claiming that Zillow’s imageלימודs mimetic its own through the use of what is effectively composed of Indigital ((Partnership), which owns many of the sites, argues that without losing its marketing and investment history, CoStar continues to operate as a “near’vevtual brand.” This narrative highlights the enduring struggle of CoStar to protect its image amid competition. The case’s history, including a landmark lower court decision in 2022 where Zillow was found to infringe on copyrighted images used by a former manager of asee(treeMaker and Move, the晃lishes of listing restricted properties), underscores not just the legal battle but also the resilience of some real estate firms in the face of systemic bias.
Now, the legal issues remain unresolved. CoStar has not yet provided an answer, while Zillow has denied targeting Redfin and Realtor.com as entities involved. This underscores the delicate balance of competing interests and the potentialfor future legalInstrumento八卦 that has唣led CoStar’s manipulation of the industry landscape over the years. As the case stands, the situation remains a major challenge for both firms in navigating the complexities of the market and the persistent legal issues they face.
