CoStar claims Zillow is still using over 50K copyrighted photos 

CoStar has filed an amended complaint in its copyright infringement lawsuit against home search rival Zillow, alleging that tens of thousands of CoStar-owned images are still being used on Zillow's website.

What's new in the case: CoStar's March 27 filing alleges that Zillow has used around 53,000 images belonging to CoStar — parent company of Homes.com and Apartments.com — up from around 47,000 when the lawsuit was filed in July 2025.

While Zillow began taking down some photos involved in the case last September, CoStar claimed shortly thereafter that the company was still "brazenly" using copyrighted images.

What CoStar had to say: Gene Boxer, CoStar's general counsel, claimed in a statement that Zillow has republished many of the same photographs at issue in the initial lawsuit. Those images also appear on Redfin and Realtor.com through Zillow's rental listings syndication deals. 

"Zillow has the tools to stop — it is simply choosing not to, hoping that its mass-infringement scheme will return a profit," Boxer said in a written statement. "We look forward to holding Zillow to account."

What Zillow had to say: "CoStar's decision to amend the complaint rather than respond to our motion to dismiss is yet another proof point in the weaknesses of their arguments and also a perpetual model of wastefully leveraging litigation rather than competing on the basis of product quality and consumer experience," a Zillow spokesperson said in an emailed statement.

Zillow filed a motion to dismiss the case in February, arguing at the time that "this dispute would have been resolved before it was filed" had CoStar issued a takedown notice. "Instead of using this efficient and well-worn path, CoStar chose to file this action for direct and vicarious copyright infringement," the motion stated. But, the filing noted, CoStar "failed to allege that Zillow had the practical ability to identify CoStar-copyrighted images or that Zillow derived any direct financial benefit from the alleged infringement, both essential elements of vicarious infringement," reflecting "the absence of any factual basis for CoStar's claims."

What the case is about: The lawsuit, which moved from a New York federal court to Washington state in December, mostly concerns multifamily rental listings on Zillow and on Zillow Group-owned Trulia and HotPads. CoStar has claimed that some of these listings use CoStar-owned images that primarily appeared on Apartments.com.

In addition to monetary damages, CoStar is seeking injunctive relief and the permanent removal of all CoStar-owned images from Zillow's systems.

Zillow has alleged that the lawsuit is "nothing more than a calculated attempt to misuse copyright law to sideline Zillow and lock in CoStar's control."

Note: This story has been updated with a response from Zillow.