Zillow Denied Free Kentucky Tax Record Access by Appeals Court

Zillow Inc. failed to convince the Sixth Circuit Thursday that it acts more like a newspaper than a for-profit corporation when it collects and publishes property tax information.

Zillow and two press groups asked the US Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit to overturn a trial court ruling that found Zillow is subject to higher fees when it makes public records requests, but so are newspapers that collect the data to disseminate it to the public.

Charging more for commercial uses doesn’t violate Zillow’s First Amendment rights, the court said, rejecting Zillow’s argument that it shouldn’t pay higher fees ...