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Rogers cited for 'scraping' listings
Century 21 sues over links to brokers sites.
A legal battle is brewing between one of the country's largest real estate companies and Rogers Communications Inc., the owner of a new web-site promoting property listings across Canada. The Financial Post has learned Century 21 Canada is suing Zoocasa Inc., which officially launched last month, for "scraping" information from sites provided by Century 21 brokers and representatives. Sources indicate privately controlled Zoocasa is nearly 100% owned by Rogers.
University of Ottawa law professor Michael Geist said while there may be debate about what information you can take from a competitor's real estate site and post on your own, he doubts any court will listen to an argument banning a hyperlink. "There have been any number of attempts to invoke requirements to obtain permission in order to link, but the courts have been reluctant to uphold that. The whole web is dependent on links," Mr. Geist said.
See the full story by Garry Marr in the Financial Post »
September 9, 2009 in Legal Considerations | Permalink
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Comments
Thanks for the update!!! Wow, awesome real estate blog.
Posted by: House For Sale | Jun 30, 2010 5:05:41 AM
Great Post! I find your blog very helpful for real estate and I am sure others do as well. Keep up the good work!
Posted by: Homes Bal Harbour For Sale | Apr 24, 2010 2:39:40 AM
Thnx for the article Fred
Posted by: RealEstate | Sep 21, 2009 5:57:54 AM
Screen scraping, advertising other companies listings on Craigs list, local MLS restrictions - those outside our industry came in because we couldn't get it right in the USA. The DOJ lawsuit settlement has now established the rules. Otherwise, it's the code of ethics.
Posted by: Fred Doleac | Sep 19, 2009 12:38:26 AM
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