A company that allows developers to use data straight from the Craigslist website filed an antitrust claim against the online classifieds site this week for trying to stop competition in the growing market.
3Taps filed a lawsuit claim against Craigslist this week, accusing the company of anticompetitive business practices. 3Taps is a company that collects public data and organizes it for developers to use.
"The basis of our antitrust counterclaim and defense against Craigslist's baseless lawsuit is simple: public facts are public property - openly and equally available to all businesses and consumers," said Greg Kidd, the founder and chief executive of 3Taps in a press release. "Sham copyright claims and unenforceable terms of use cannot stand when they deceive users, intimidate innovators, or thwart a competitive marketplace."
The lawsuit, which was filed in Federal District Court for Northern California in San Francisco, occurred after Craigslist's filed a lawsuit in July that accused 3Taps and Padmapper of infringing on Craigslist's copyright and trademark. Padmapper is also a listings website. Both companies consider the claims against them outrageous.
3Taps denies Craigslist's claim, saying that Craigslist created a monopoly, and that public facts are public property and should be allowed for everyone to use.
The main attraction to the Craigslist website is their ability to allow people from all over the U.S. to search through many categories to sell or purchase just about whatever they want. One of the biggest categories on the site is the auto section where people can search for used cars on sale in a specific state or county. People can also list cars on the website for sale, and it is up to the specific seller how much information or details about the car they wish to be released. The site has revolutionized the way people can purchase and sell cars, no longer needing to depend on used car dealers or driving through towns searching for cars for sale.
"As Craigslist spends heavily to bully and intimidate companies that challenge them, consumers are deprived of better ways to find and execute real-time exchange transactions," said Kidd. "Craigslist uses its monopoly position to achieve huge annual profits without sinking any meaningful costs into research and development or innovation."
Craigslist has yet to respond to the lawsuit.
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