SerpApi moves to dismiss Google scraping lawsuit

SerpApi is asking a federal court docket to dismiss Google’s lawsuit, arguing the corporate is misusing copyright regulation to limit entry to public search outcomes.

• The movement was filed Feb. 20, in response to a weblog submit by SerpApi CEO and founder Julien Khaleghy.
• Google sued SerpApi in December, alleging it bypassed technical protections to scrape and resell content material from Google Search.

The main points: SerpApi argues Google is badly invoking the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). In response to Khaleghy:

• The DMCA protects copyrighted works, not web sites or advert companies.
• Google doesn’t personal the underlying content material displayed in search outcomes.
• Accessing publicly seen pages isn’t “circumvention” below the statute.

Google’s criticism alleged SerpApi:

• Circumvented bot-detection and crawling controls.
• Used rotating bot identities and huge bot networks.
• Scraped licensed content material from Search options, together with photographs and real-time information.

SerpApi stated it doesn’t decrypt programs, disable authentication, or entry personal information. Khaleghy stated SerpApi retrieves the identical data accessible to any consumer in a browser, with out requiring a login.

Khaleghy additionally argued Google admitted its anti-bot programs defend its promoting enterprise — not particular copyrighted works — which he stated undermines the DMCA declare.

SerpApi cites the Ninth Circuit’s hiQ v. LinkedIn choice warning towards “data monopolies” over public information. It additionally cites the Sixth Circuit’s Impression Merchandise v. Lexmark ruling to argue that public-facing content material can’t be shielded by technical measures alone.

Catch up fast: The lawsuit follows months of escalating authorized fights over scraping and AI information use.

• Oct. 22: Reddit sued SerpApi, Perplexity, Oxylabs, and AWMProxy in federal court docket, alleging they scraped Reddit content material not directly from Google Search and reused or resold it. Reddit claimed the businesses hid their identities and scraped at “industrial scale.” Reddit stated it set a “lure” submit seen solely to Google’s crawler that later appeared in Perplexity outcomes. Reddit is looking for damages and a ban on additional use of beforehand scraped information.
• Oct. 29: SerpApi said it would “vigorously defend” itself, calling Reddit’s language “inflammatory” and arguing public search information ought to stay accessible.
• Dec. 19: Google sued SerpApi, alleging it bypassed safety protections, ignored crawling directives, and scraped licensed Search content material for resale. SerpApi responded that it operates lawfully and that accessing public search information is protected by the First Modification.

By the numbers: SerpApi claims that, below Google’s interpretation of the DMCA, statutory damages might theoretically whole $7.06 trillion — a determine it stated exceeds U.S. GDP. The quantity displays SerpApi’s calculation of potential per-violation penalties, not an precise damages demand.

What’s subsequent. The case now strikes to the court docket’s choice on whether or not Google’s claims can proceed.

Why we care: The end result might reshape how search engine optimization platforms, AI instruments, and aggressive intelligence software program entry SERP information. A win for Google might make third-party search information more durable or riskier to acquire. A win for SerpApi might strengthen arguments that publicly accessible search outcomes will be scraped and picked up.

The weblog submit. Google v. SerpApi: We’re filing a Motion to Dismiss. Here’s why we’re in the right.

Dig deeper. Inside SearchGuard: How Google detects bots and what the SerpAPI lawsuit reveals