Why Google has sued web scraper SerpApi
What's the story
Google has filed a lawsuit against SerpApi, a company that provides tools to scrape content from the internet, including Google's search results. The data is then allegedly sold to customers. The tech giant accuses SerpApi of violating the Copyright Act by using "deceptive means" to automatically access and take its search results on an "astonishing scale."
Tactics
Google's technological measure thwarted by SerpApi
Google claims that SerpApi found a way around SearchGuard, a technology it deployed earlier this year to prevent its search results from being scraped. The tech giant said, "With the automated queries it submits, SerpApi engages in a wide variety of misrepresentations and evasions in order to bypass the technological protections Google deployed." Each time these tactics are used, Google alleges, US federal law is violated.
Evasion strategies
SerpApi's response to Google's protection
In response to SearchGuard, SerpApi has been masking the hundreds of millions of automated queries it sends to Google every day. The company's founder recently described this process as "creating fake browsers using a multitude of IP addresses that Google sees as normal users." This strategy is part of their efforts to evade Google's technological protection measure.
Copyright concerns
Google alleges copyright infringement
Google says its search results contain a "substantial" amount of copyrighted content, including images. This content is displayed on different modules within Search, like the Knowledge Panel. The tech giant accuses SerpApi of "undermining" its investment in licenses to display this copyrighted material by making it available to other services that don't incur similar costs.
Legal recourse
Legal action seeks to halt SerpApi's scraping
Google is seeking a court order to stop SerpApi from circumventing its restrictions against scraping. The tech giant also wants the court to order the destruction of any technology used in this process. This legal action comes as part of Google's efforts to protect its partner relationships and prevent further misappropriation of its search results.