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California district judge has denied Move Inc.'s request for a preliminary injunction against CoStar, dealing a blow to the rival company's accusations of stolen information. Judge George Wu ruled that Move failed to demonstrate "imminent, irreparable harm" necessary for an injunction, which would have barred CoStar and former Realtor.com employee James Kaminsky from allegedly accessing and using unauthorized files.

    Move had alleged that Kaminsky, who led Realtor.com's news team before joining CoStar subsidiary Homes.com, illegally accessed proprietary company information and shared it with his new employer. The lawsuit claims Kaminsky established "surreptitious, undetected ongoing access" to Move's internal system to spy on the company's confidential documents.

    CoStar has maintained that Kaminsky only minimally accessed the documents in question and never shared them with the company. In a statement, CoStar's general counsel blasted Move, saying "the truth is anathema to Move's case." Move plans to proceed with discovery and a jury trial, seeking damages for what it claims is a serious breach of trust.

    The dispute centers on Homes.com's efforts to surpass Realtor.com and Redfin as the second-most visited listing platform. CoStar has invested heavily in Homes.com, including a $1 billion advertising campaign featuring three Super Bowl commercials.