SerpAPI: Reddit Lawsuit Threatens the Open Web
▼ Summary
– SerpAPI is defending itself against Reddit’s lawsuit alleging data scraping and reselling via Google Search results.
– The company criticized Reddit’s “inflammatory” language and expressed disappointment at not receiving prior communication about the lawsuit.
– SerpAPI claims its work is lawful and guided by the principle that public search data should be accessible, citing First Amendment support.
– Reddit sued multiple companies for scraping its content at an industrial scale and is seeking financial damages and a ban on data use.
– The broader conflict involves tech platforms battling over control of information that powers search results and AI-generated answers.
SerpAPI has announced it will mount a vigorous legal defense against a lawsuit filed by Reddit, which accuses the company of improperly scraping and reselling Reddit data obtained through Google Search results. The company expressed strong disappointment, stating it first learned of the legal action through the lawsuit itself and had received no prior communication from Reddit. SerpAPI described the language used in the complaint as inflammatory.
The firm’s official stance is that its operations are protected by the First Amendment and are essential for maintaining a free and open internet. SerpAPI insists its core principle is that publicly available search data should remain accessible to all. The company argues that its services provide clean, structured data that is vital for innovation and automation.
In a detailed public statement, SerpAPI outlined its eight-year history of what it calls transparent and lawful operation. The company serves a wide range of clients, including developers, researchers, and businesses across sectors like SEO, marketing, advertising, and the burgeoning field of artificial intelligence. It emphasized that its technology supports critical functions such as copyright verification, background screening, and news monitoring, all of which depend on reliable access to public data.
The legal action, filed last week, also names other data providers including Perplexity, Oxylabs, and AWMProxy. Reddit’s complaint alleges these entities engaged in industrial-scale data scraping from Google search results while deliberately concealing their identities to avoid detection and restrictions. As part of its case, Reddit claims it set up a specific trap to gather evidence against Perplexity. The social media platform is seeking monetary damages and a permanent injunction to prevent the further use of its data.
This lawsuit unfolds against a backdrop of Reddit’s own strategic data licensing agreements. The company has already entered into significant data licensing deals with tech giants like OpenAI and Google. Reports suggest that Reddit and Google are exploring an even deeper partnership that could integrate Reddit conversations directly into Google’s AI Overviews and other user experiences.
The underlying conflict extends far beyond a simple dispute over data scraping. At its heart, this is a battle for control over the foundational information that powers modern search engines and AI systems. As major platforms vie for dominance, brands and content creators are left navigating an increasingly complex landscape, struggling to discern the true drivers of their online visibility, search rankings, and traffic attribution.
(Source: Search Engine Land)
