On December 19, 2025, Google escalated its war on data scrapers by filing a federal lawsuit in California against SerpApi, a Texas-based company accused of orchestrating hundreds of millions of fake search queries to pilfer copyrighted content from search results. The complaint details how SerpApi allegedly bypassed Google’s security measures to harvest and resell this data, fueling a burgeoning market for AI training datasets.

Google’s legal salvo comes amid rising tensions over web scraping, with the tech giant portraying SerpApi as a serial offender that ‘takes content for free at an astonishing scale.’ Halimah DeLaine Prado, Google’s general counsel, wrote in a company blog post that the suit targets ‘unlawful scraping’ after repeated warnings went unheeded. SerpApi, which markets itself as a search API provider, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Allegations of Systematic Evasion

The lawsuit paints a picture of industrial-scale circumvention. According to the filing, SerpApi deployed bots to simulate human searches, rotating IP addresses and user agents to dodge rate limits and CAPTCHAs. This operation purportedly generated over 300 million queries in a single year, capturing snippets, images, and links protected by copyright.

Google claims SerpApi repackaged this data into APIs sold to developers, including those building AI models. ‘They circumvent security measures protecting others’ copyrighted content that appears in Google search results,’ stated Search Engine Land, echoing the complaint’s core charge under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA).

Fake Queries Fuel Data Empire

Court documents reveal SerpApi’s alleged use of ‘fake searches’ to access premium content from publishers like news outlets and review sites. Reuters reported that the suit accuses the firm of using ‘hundreds of millions of fake Google search requests’ to steal material, drawing parallels to Reddit’s October lawsuit against similar scrapers aiding AI firm Perplexity.

This isn’t Google’s first brush with scraping disputes. Earlier in 2024, a federal court dismissed a broader suit against Google for AI training data scraping, but the SerpApi case zeroes in on direct violations of Google’s terms and federal copyright law, per Bloomberg Law.

Broader Industry Ripples

The case highlights fractures in the data access ecosystem. SerpApi’s service has powered countless apps by offering structured Google search data, but Google argues this undermines its investments in crawling and indexing. Industry watchers note similarities to ongoing battles, with posts on X from ad tech executive Jason Kint quipping, ‘That’s rich. It’s like when Facebook sued a company for stealing its user data,’ in reference to hypocritical big tech enforcement.

As AI demand surges, scrapers like SerpApi thrive by filling gaps left by restricted APIs. Google’s suit seeks injunctions, damages, and destruction of scraped datasets, potentially chilling the $1 billion-plus scraping market.

Technical Tactics Exposed

Deep into the complaint, Google outlines SerpApi’s toolkit: headless browsers mimicking Chrome, proxy rotation via data centers, and query randomization to evade detection. Despite blocks on known IPs, SerpApi allegedly shifted to residential proxies, sustaining a query volume rivaling major enterprises.

The Verge detailed how this ‘astonishing scale’ scraping evaded safeguards, with Google estimating billions in lost value to content creators whose works appear in results. SerpApi’s pricing—$5,000 monthly for high-volume access—underscores the commercial stakes.

Legal Precedents and Stakes

This lawsuit builds on DMCA precedents where courts upheld anti-circumvention claims against scrapers. Unlike fair use defenses in AI training cases, Google’s focus on security bypass strengthens its position. Reuters noted the filing’s timing amid EU probes into data practices, amplifying pressure on U.S. firms.

SerpApi, founded in 2016, serves over 10,000 customers, per its site, positioning the outcome as a bellwether for API providers reliant on public search data.

Publisher Backlash Builds

Publishers, long frustrated by uncompensated appearances in search, view the suit favorably. Reddit’s prior action against SerpApi et al. alleged theft for Perplexity’s engine, a claim Google’s filing bolsters without naming the AI startup. Search Engine Land reported Google’s commitment to ‘fighting this abuse’ through tech and legal means.

On X, discussions reflect divided sentiments: some decry big tech overreach, others cheer protections for creators amid AI’s data hunger.

Future of Search Data Access

Google’s action signals a pivot to aggressive enforcement, potentially leading to stricter rate limits or paid APIs. For SerpApi, the suit threatens operations unless settled swiftly. As one X post captured industry irony, big tech’s data guardianship invites scrutiny of its own practices.

Bloomberg Law highlighted Google’s prior win dodging a scraping suit, but this offensive stance tests judicial tolerance for platform defenses. The case, docketed in the Northern District of California, promises months of discovery revealing scraping’s underbelly.