SerpAPI calls Reddit lawsuit a threat to the ‘free and open web’

SerpAPI said it will “vigorously defend” itself after being sued by Reddit for allegedly scraping and reselling data from the platform via Google Search results.

The response. SerpAPI called Reddit’s language “inflammatory” and said it was “extremely disappointed” to learn of the lawsuit without prior communication.

• “Our work is guided by a simple principle: public search data should be accessible,” the company said.
• SerpAPI argued its position is backed by the First Amendment and called Reddit’s actions a threat to “the free and open Web we all enjoy.”

What they’re saying. According to SerpApi:

• “For eight years, SerpApi has operated transparently and lawfully, helping countless developers, researchers, and businesses build on top of publicly available search data. Our technology is used across multiple industries, from SEO, marketing, and advertising to copyright verification, background checks, news monitoring, and now AI. Our work is guided by a simple principle: public search data should be accessible. And accessibility cannot exist without clean unified data structures, speed, and automation possibilities.”

Catch up quick. Reddit sued SerpAPI, Perplexity, Oxylabs, and AWMProxy last week, claiming they scraped Reddit content from Google results “at an industrial scale” and hid their identities to bypass restrictions. Reddit:

• Claimed it set a “trap” for Perplexity to prove scraping.
• Is seeking financial damages and a ban on further data use.

Zoom out. Reddit licenses its data to OpenAI and Google. Meanwhile, Google and Reddit are reportedly exploring a deeper AI partnership that could bring Reddit discussions directly into AI Overviews and other Google experiences.

Why we care. This fight isn’t just about data – it’s about control. The big tech platforms are battling over who owns the information that powers search results and AI-generated answers, while brands struggle to understand what’s driving rankings, visibility, and attribution.

SerpApi’s statement. Our Response to Reddit, Inc. v. SerpApi, LLC: Defending the First Amendment