Ryanair has filed for a permanent injunction against Booking.com in the U.S. to block access to its website, following a successful court case where Ryanair won against the platform for unauthorized screen-scraping of its fares.
A U.S. court ruled that Booking.com violated the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act by accessing portions of Ryanair’s website without permission, a decision the airline believes will help curb unauthorized ticket reselling.
The District Court of Delaware found that Booking.com acted with intent to defraud and rejected its counterclaims against Ryanair, which included allegations of defamation and unfair competition.
Booking.com expressed disappointment with the ruling and plans to appeal, arguing that comparing fares enhances consumer choice, while Ryanair’s CEO hopes the ruling will lead to stronger consumer protection against unlawful practices in the travel industry.
