Updated
Updated · Computerworld · Jul 24
US Court Dismisses Google Suit Against SerpApi, Gives 21 Days to Amend
Updated
Updated · Computerworld · Jul 24

US Court Dismisses Google Suit Against SerpApi, Gives 21 Days to Amend

3 articles · Updated · Computerworld · Jul 24

Summary

  • Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers threw out Google’s lawsuit accusing SerpApi of scraping search results to train AI models, while allowing Google 21 days to revise its complaint.
  • The Northern District of California found no sign of copyright infringement, agreeing with SerpApi that Google-served URLs and links are not themselves protected works under the DMCA claims Google raised.
  • The judge also said nothing showed copyright holders had authorized Google to sue on their behalf, undercutting Google’s argument that it was acting to protect creators.
  • Google filed the case in December, and SerpApi moved to dismiss it in February; the ruling is a setback to Google’s broader campaign against web scrapers.

Insights

Could Google's failure to weaponize copyright law against scrapers permanently change how AI companies harvest public web data?
If public search results lack copyright protection, what new legal weapons will tech giants deploy to stop automated scraping?
Will Google successfully prove it represents third-party copyright owners before the court's strict amendment deadline expires?