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It claims the website is infringing on the board’s copyrights by “employing various techniques to illegally data scrape” information that it provides to its fee-paying members through its internal multiple-listings service (MLS). This includes data such as new property listings, descriptions, sold prices and photography.

It goes on to allege that Mongohouse is profiting from advertisers by its daily “unauthorized access” of this information, which it then displays on its website for free.

The board said Thursday it could not comment further on the legal action because the issue was now before the courts.

Meanwhile, efforts to contact Mongohouse were unsuccessful. A statement of claim has not yet been filed with the Federal Court.

In the filing dated Sept. 12, TREB says it doesn’t know how its information is being accessed, but it believes it is the source because it placed “unique information” in its system and saw it appear on the Mongohouse website within 24 to 48 hours.

“All of the information on the Mongohouse website for this purpose is only available from the TREB MLS system,” said the claim. “There is no other means available for Mongohouse to obtain the information that is available and made publicly accessible through the Mongohouse website.”

The board argues that it has spent “tens of millions” of dollars to create and maintain its MLS system and that it suffers “injury and irreparable harm” when Mongohouse “continues to pass itself off as offering the same services…”