CoStar Scores Point in Move’s Stolen Information Suit

CoStar struck the latest blow in its battle with rival Move Inc. over the latter’s accusation of stolen information.

A California district judge declined Move’s request for a preliminary injunction against CoStar on Monday, Inman reported. Judge George Wu determined that Move did not demonstrate the “imminent, irreparable harm” that would’ve warranted a preliminary injunction against CoStar.

The order would have barred CoStar and former Realtor.com employee James Kaminsky from allegedly accessing and using “unauthorized files.” Realtor.com is a subsidiary of Move.

A spokesperson for Move said the company was looking forward to discovery and having its day in court. General counsel for CoStar, meanwhile, blasted Move and claimed “the truth is anathema to Move’s case.”

The lawsuit dates back to the summer, when Move alleged that Kaminsky illegally accessed proprietary company information and shared it with his new employer, CoStar subsidiary Homes.com. Kaminsky led Realtor.com’s news and insights team for nine years before he was laid off in January. He joined CoStar two months later.

Move, which seeks damages and a jury trial, alleged Kaminsky’s new role includes overseeing writers who were creating a product similar to Realtor.com’s, which Move claims is at the center of its marketing strategy.

In the complaint, Move claimed Kaminsky “established surreptitious, undetected ongoing access” to the company’s internal system to “spy on Move’s highly confidential documents.” These documents include Realtor.com’s future story ideas, user traffic metrics, contact lists and a list of Realtor.com’s employees and their compensation, among others.

The companies at the heart of the dispute have already put forth their own forensic expert reports. Move’s report claims Kaminksy transferred access to 40 documents during the dog days of his employment. CoStar’s report grants that Kaminsky accessed the documents in question, but only minimally and never shared them with CoStar.

Homes.com is on a quest to surpass Realtor.com and Redfin and emerge as the second-most visited listing platform, behind Zillow. The hard charge included a $1 billion advertising campaign for Homes.com, including three Super Bowl commercials.

— Holden Walter-Warner