CoStar Group Inc. (NASDAQ: CSGP) has agreed to the request by Zillow Group Inc. (NASDAQ: Z, ZG) to move its copyright infringement case from the Southern District of New York to the Western District of Washington, which covers Zillow’s headquarters in Seattle.
CoStar Group filed a lawsuit against Zillow in July for the infringement of nearly 47,000 images that displayed the CoStar watermark. In September, CoStar announced that Zillow has not only failed to remove the watermarked photographs but added roughly 4,600 more and has distributed these images to its affiliate websites and its competitors Redfin and Realtor.com.
Last month, Zillow filed a motion to transfer CoStar’s mass infringement case to its home state. Gene Boxer, CoStar’s general counsel, had no problem with the request.
“CoStar is focused on a fast, fair decision to remedy Zillow’s mass infringement of nearly 50,000 images, a case that is growing in scale with infringement continuing after we filed suit,” Boxer said. “We do not oppose transfer because Zillow has admitted the Western District of Washington is where Zillow designed and operated its scheme. Moreover, since CoStar sued, two major class actions addressing core aspects of Zillow’s business—lead diversion and the steering of consumers to high priced mortgages—are now proceeding in the same Seattle courthouse. We look forward to proving our claims under Ninth Circuit law and to holding Zillow to account in its own backyard.”
