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Zillow, Compass and MRED dispute listing syndication timing as judge weighs injunction
The dispute centers on Zillow’s April 2025 rule that bars homes from Zillow if IDX or VOW feeds do not appear within one business day of a listing being publicly marketed.
A federal judge in Chicago is weighing whether to issue an injunction in a Zillow antitrust case that turns on who controls when MLS listings reach major real estate portals, according to HousingWire. Zillow, Compass, and Midwest Real Estate Data, or MRED, filed briefs that argue sharply over how listings are displayed and syndicated, and who is responsible for any disruption in portal access.
Zillow said in its 48-page filing that MRED and Compass acted “in lockstep” to block Zillow’s Listing Access Standards, which were announced in April 2025. The standards ban a home from Zillow if it is not available on IDX or VOW feeds within one business day of being publicly marketed, HousingWire reported, with Zillow arguing Compass sought to “discipline” Zillow by terminating its feed access if the standards were not immediately repealed.
MRED and Compass countered in a joint 40-page brief that any harm is “self-inflicted” and that Zillow could avoid the issue by not “subjectively ban[ning]” listings, HousingWire reported. They also argued Zillow’s transparency case is backwards, saying the policy would push sellers toward truly secret listings instead of open MLS listings.
HousingWire reports the judge, John Tharp Jr., is expected to decide whether Zillow is likely to win at trial and whether it faces irreparable harm. Zillow warned that losing MRED’s feed could trigger a “downward spiral,” and the briefs note Zillow described impacts to listing supply, while MRED said its display rules rely on objective criteria and link back to an earlier 2008 DOJ settlement affecting MLS practices.