Our Data
Anti-Piracy
Safeguard Your Competitive Advantage from Piracy
Spliced cable, bootlegged movies and infringing online copies of music and software
are all examples of piracy. Piracy is an illegal act that hurts you and your company.
Like other digital media providers, CoStar faces the harsh costs of pirated content,
theft and copyright infringement.
This website describes the rules for using our commercial real estate services.
You'll learn about the broad usage rights you enjoy as a valued CoStar customer.
And you'll discover what you can do to protect your CoStar information advantage.
What Is Piracy?
Using CoStar's services without a license or exceeding the scope of permitted use
amounts to piracy. Here's list of prohibited acts -
- Sharing your CoStar user-name and password.
- Logging into a CoStar service using someone else's CoStar user-name and password.
- Creating a "CoStar terminal"-a shared computer used by several people to access
CoStar via one individual's CoStar user-name and password.
- Having a licensed CoStar username and using this whilst working for a separate unlicensed
company.
- Having a licensed CoStar user email or fax CoStar reports to you rather than becoming
a licensed user.
- Downloading information or photographs from CoStar into an internal database without
written permission from CoStar.
- Using, copying or distributing any part of the CoStar service in connection with
creating or maintaining another information service or product.
- Posting CoStar photographs to an Internet listing service.
- Cancelling a CoStar service but retaining CoStar content for use after termination
of your license.
- Reselling any portion of a CoStar service.
Why Should I Care?
Because you are piracy's real victim. You know what CoStar's services mean to your
work, that's why you invest in them. Anyone who illegally uses CoStar services threatens
your competitive advantage in at least three ways;
- Costs you deals: the more people access our data the less competitive advantage
you retain.
- Reduces CoStar's ability to enhance services: by eroding our revenues.
- May cost you more in higher subscription fees: by providing access to non subscribers,
you are effectively subsidizing their information needs and picking up their bill.
Piracy Punishment
The penalties for piracy are high. As well as being liable for license fees covering
the period of the piracy, infringers can also be liable for CoStar's lost profits.
Play it safe. Don't risk piracy's costly and embarrassing consequences.
What Is CoStar Doing About Acts Of Piracy
In order to protect both ourselves and all of our properly-licensed, paying-subscribers,
CoStar has a team dedicated to identifying acts of piracy using sophisticated technology
and bringing action against any and every identified infringer. We have already
successfully prosecuted a number of illegal users and we are determined to continue
to do so, to ensure the value you get from our products is fully preserved.