Google Maps Scraping for B2B Leads: What Is Legal in Germany?

Is Google Maps scraping legal? The short answer for Germany: automated extraction from Google Maps violates Google's terms of service, can infringe database protection under § 87b UrhG (a provision of the German Copyright Act protecting database producers), and additionally triggers GDPR obligations when personal data is involved. The route to the same data that Google actually provides is the official Places API. This article explains the three legal levels in detail — contract law, copyright law, data protection — and shows how to use Google Maps data for B2B lead generation within the terms of service. It is not legal advice.

Is Google Maps scraping legal in Germany?

Google Maps scraping is not a simple yes-or-no question legally; it concerns three separate levels that must be examined independently of each other. A scraping operation can be unproblematic on one level and clearly impermissible on another:

• Contract law: Google's terms of service expressly prohibit scraping — anyone who has accepted them and violates them risks account suspension and contractual claims
• Copyright law: Google Maps is a database; the systematic extraction of substantial parts can infringe the database producer's right under § 87b UrhG
• Data protection: As soon as listings contain personal data (the normal case with sole traders), GDPR obligations apply — regardless of how the data was obtained

Scraping is the automated extraction of a website's content beyond its normal use — in the case of Google Maps, the mass harvesting of business listings without the API provided for that purpose. The key point up front: for access to Google Maps business data, an official, contractually secured route exists in the form of the Places API — which makes scraping an avoidable risk with no real advantage.

What do Google's terms of service say about scraping?

The Google Maps Platform Terms of Service expressly prohibit scraping: Section 3.2.3 ("Restrictions Against Misusing the Services") forbids exporting, extracting, or otherwise scraping Google Maps content for use outside the services — explicitly mentioned are, among other things, the bulk downloading of content and the copying of business names, addresses, or reviews. Possible consequences of a violation:

• Suspension of the Google account, the API key, or the IP address
• Contractual claims by Google (injunctive relief, termination, possibly damages)
• Unreliable and incomplete data, because anti-scraping measures disrupt the queries

The distinction between a breach of contract and a violation of law is important: violating terms of service is not automatically a criminal offense or an act of unfair competition. In the case "Flugvermittlung im Internet" (judgment of April 30, 2014, case no. I ZR 224/12), Germany's Federal Court of Justice ruled that screen scraping of freely accessible data does not constitute unfair obstruction merely because the site operator's terms prohibit it. At the same time, the European Court of Justice clarified in Ryanair v PR Aviation (judgment of January 15, 2015, case C-30/14) that operators of databases not eligible for protection can effectively restrict their use by contract. Translated: scraping is not prohibited per se — but anyone who has accepted Google's terms is contractually bound, and the copyright and data protection assessments come on top of that.

Numerous tools on the market (Scrap.io, Outscraper, and similar) operate precisely in this gray zone: they deliver data whose acquisition contradicts Google's terms — and the customer bears the risk of further use.

Does Google Maps scraping infringe database protection under § 87b UrhG?

Yes, with mass scraping this is a real risk: § 87b UrhG gives the database producer the exclusive right to reproduce and distribute the database in whole or in substantial parts. The protection applies in two scenarios:

• Extraction of substantial parts: Anyone who copies a part of the database that is substantial in nature or scope — for example, systematically pulling all listings of one industry for a region — needs the producer's consent
• Repeated extraction of insubstantial parts: Many small queries are also covered if they occur systematically and conflict with the normal exploitation of the database or unreasonably prejudice the legitimate interests of the producer (§ 87b Abs. 1 Satz 2 UrhG)

The database producer's right is a separate protective right alongside classic copyright: what is protected is not the creativity of the content but the substantial investment in obtaining, verifying, and presenting the data — obviously present in the case of Google Maps. Whether a specific scraping volume reaches the threshold of a "substantial part" is a case-by-case question; with mass extraction, the risk cannot be reliably ruled out. Here too, the Places API proves to be the clean route: Google grants API customers usage rights by contract, and the copyright question does not arise within the licensed framework.

What role does the GDPR play with Google Maps data?

The GDPR (the EU General Data Protection Regulation) applies to Google Maps data whenever listings contain personal data — regardless of whether the data was obtained by scraping or via the official API. Data about legal entities (GmbH, AG — name, address, phone) is not personal data within the meaning of the GDPR. But beware: for sole traders and freelancers — the normal case among local businesses like skilled trades, medical practices, or law firms — company data is simultaneously personal data, and the GDPR applies in full. Owner names in listings or reviews are also personal data.

In practice, this means: the processing needs a legal basis (usually legitimate interest under Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR with a documented balancing of interests), the information duties under Art. 14 GDPR apply, and outreach is additionally subject to the rules of § 7 UWG (the German Act Against Unfair Competition) — marketing emails require express consent even in B2B, and sales calls to businesses require at least presumed consent. The complete legal framework is explained in our GDPR guide to B2B lead generation, and the channel rules in detail in the article on B2B cold email outreach.

Why is the Google Places API the ToS-compliant route?

The Google Places API is the official programming interface through which Google expressly permits and contractually governs access to business data from Google Maps. Instead of reading out the website, you make structured queries ("tax advisors in Cologne") and receive machine-readable results — reliable, documented, and within the terms of service. A complete setup guide can be found in our Google Places API setup tutorial.

What does the Places API deliver — and what does it not?

The Places API (New) delivers per business listing, among other things:

• Company name and category/industry
• Address and GPS coordinates
• Phone number (if publicly listed)
• Website URL
• Average rating and number of reviews
• Opening status (open, closed, permanently closed)

The Places API does not deliver email addresses — they are not stored in Google Maps. Reputable tools obtain them in a second step from the company website itself (Impressum, contact page), where companies make them publicly available.

What does the Places API cost?

For typical SME volumes, the Places API can be used largely free of charge. Since March 2025, Google has replaced the former credit of 200 US dollars per month with free quotas per query type (SKU): according to Google's pricing documentation (as of July 2026), up to 10,000 calls per SKU and month are free depending on the category — for Text Search in the "Pro" category, it is 5,000 free calls per month, after which each call costs 0.032 US dollars. At 20 to 60 results per search query, the free Text Searches alone correspond to 100,000 to 300,000 company records per month — more than most sales teams will ever process.

Scraping or Places API — the direct comparison

How does anilead.io use the Google Places API?

anilead.io is a B2B lead generation software for the DACH market that finds companies via Google Places, extracts email addresses, and scores every lead with Claude AI — and for this it uses exclusively the official Google Places API (New): no scraping tools, no violations of Google's terms of service. In all standard plans (Free, Starter, Pro, Agentur), the search runs on anilead.io's infrastructure: you need no Google account of your own and no API key, and billing simply works through lead credits. If you want full control, you can instead store your own Google API key in Nerd Mode:

• Unlimited lead credits — you pay the API costs directly to Google
• Full transparency over your usage volume in your Google Cloud Console
• Google's terms of service are fully complied with in both variants

anilead.io does not extract email addresses from Google Maps but via web crawler from public company websites; the source of origin is stored per record, and processing takes place on EU servers in Frankfurt. anilead.io is deliberately not a sending tool — the legally compliant design of the outreach (channel choice, consents under § 7 UWG) is your responsibility as the user. With 50 free credits per month, you can test the API-based approach for free.

Frequently asked questions about Google Maps scraping and the law

Is Google Maps scraping a criminal offense?

As a rule, no — extracting freely accessible data does not fulfill a criminal offense such as § 202a StGB (the German Criminal Code's data espionage provision), because no access protection is circumvented. But criminality is the wrong yardstick: under civil law, you face contractual claims for violating Google's terms of service, copyright claims under § 87b UrhG, and data protection consequences where personal data is involved.

May I use a scraping tool like Outscraper or Scrap.io?

Technically yes, legally at your own risk: these tools obtain data in a way that contradicts Google's terms of service. The GDPR obligations for further processing (legal basis, information duties, source disclosure under Art. 14 GDPR) fall on you as the user regardless, and robust source documentation is hardly possible with scraped lists.

Is data from the Places API automatically free to use?

No. The API only resolves the contractual level vis-a-vis Google: retrieval is permitted and governed. The legal basis under Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR, the information duties under Art. 14 GDPR, and the UWG rules for outreach apply regardless of how the data was obtained — and for sole traders and freelancers, company data is simultaneously personal data.

What is the difference between scraping and the Places API?

Scraping reads out the Google Maps website automatically and thereby violates Section 3.2.3 of the Google Maps Platform Terms. The Places API is the interface provided by Google for the same dataset: structured queries, documented response formats, transparent prices, and contractually granted usage rights. In terms of content, both routes deliver similar company data — the difference lies in the reliability and legal certainty of the access route.

Conclusion: The safe route to Google Maps leads

Always use the official Places API — with anilead.io it is already integrated in all plans; only in Nerd Mode do you set up your own key in about five minutes, whose free quota is enough for thousands of leads. Scraping tools may seem convenient, but they combine a clear violation of Google's terms of service with copyright risks under § 87b UrhG and technical unreliability. And note: API access does not automatically resolve the data protection questions — the legal basis, information duties, and UWG rules for outreach apply regardless of how the data was obtained. This article is not legal advice; when in doubt, a legal review of your specific approach is the right move.