Nearly 47,000 real estate photos were at issue when CoStar sued Zillow in July.
In a September 30 press release, CoStar Group shared an update on its lawsuit against Zillow, claiming the company has continued to use nearly 8,000 of the original copyrighted property photos and has even added thousands more.
Here’s what we know so far.
The Original Lawsuit
On July 30, 2025, CoStar filed a lawsuit alleging Zillow infringed on nearly 47,000 CoStar-owned real estate photographs. Many of the images prominently displayed CoStar’s distinctive star watermark.
According to CoStar, these photos were used in multiple ways:
- To build property “claim” pages on Zillow.com, where landlords can verify buildings and purchase advertising packages
- To power Zillow features, including Zestimates and user recommendations
- To syndicate listings, including CoStar-owned images, to partners such as Redfin and Realtor.com
- To distribute content across affiliate sites like Trulia, HotPads, and StreetEasy
New Allegations of Ongoing Infringement
Despite reports that Zillow started removing the photos from its site, CoStar’s update claims that thousands of the disputed images are still there. According to the press release, almost 8,000 of those photos remain on Zillow.com.
CoStar also alleges that Zillow has displayed thousands of additional copyrighted photos since the lawsuit was filed.
“Since CoStar Group filed suit, Zillow has displayed at least 4,618 additional CoStar Group-owned images,” the release stated.
Beyond Zillow.com, CoStar alleges that the disputed images continue to appear through syndication and on affiliated websites.
This includes distribution to Redfin and Realtor.com through syndication agreements, as well as ongoing display across Trulia, HotPads, and StreetEasy.
CoStar’s Position
CoStar emphasized the scale of its investment in professional photography and the size of its real estate photo library. The company contrasted that investment with what it describes as Zillow’s ongoing reliance on copyrighted content.
CoStar’s founder and CEO, Andy Florance, criticized Zillow’s actions directly.
“Despite being caught red-handed blatantly stealing our copyrighted work, Zillow has doubled down to exploit thousands of additional copyrighted images without any shame.
“Zillow’s repeated copyright infringement, combined with its lead-diversion model that is the subject of a separate lawsuit accusing Zillow of deceiving home buyers, exposes an ongoing pattern of morally questionable behavior.
“Zillow’s free ride on the agents’ listings and CoStar Group’s proprietary content is over.”
CoStar’s Legal Team Responds
CoStar’s General Counsel, Gene Boxer, added that Zillow’s continued use of watermarked images points to deliberate infringement.
“Zillow is building its rental business on stolen photos. Tens of thousands of them, many stamped with our watermark. That’s deliberate mass infringement.
“Zillow calls itself a tech company, yet supposedly it can’t spot images plainly marked with CoStar Group’s logo. That doesn’t pass the straight-face test. The truth is simple: Zillow used our watermarked images, it profited, and—stunningly—it has kept doing it. Rather than learn its lesson, it doubled down, and the infringement scheme got even larger. We look forward to holding Zillow to account.”
What Happens Next
CoStar stated it will “vigorously pursue” its case against Zillow. The company is seeking permanent injunctive relief and substantial damages.
The lawsuit remains ongoing, and the outcome will determine whether Zillow must make significant changes to its use and distribution of real estate photos across its platforms and partnerships.
For now, CoStar’s latest filing underscores its position that the scope of alleged infringement is not only large, but growing.
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