TikTok countersues Triller over patent infringement claims

TikTok’s parent company ByteDance is suing rival app Triller over patent infringement claims. 

The allegations come in the form of a countersuit against a claim filed in July by Triller. Triller has accused ByteDance of using its video and music editing tech for several years, and specifically cited its patent which was approved in 2017.

The patent covers systems and methods for creating music videos synchronized with an audio track, which essentially was the draw of the Chinese TikTok before users branched out to wider ranges of content. ByteDance has argued that TikTok does not perform the steps covered by the patent.

The initial Triller suit was filed in Waco, Texas – a part of the US well-known as being friendly to patent holders.

The embattled TikTok – which spent the summer being threatened by president Trump – says that the Triller suit has “cast a cloud” over its business, with ByteDance urging the court to clear up the matter.

Responding to this new suit from ByteDance, Triller CEO Mike Lu said: “TikTok and its parent company, ByteDance, have been infringing on Triller’s patents and stealing its technology for many years — enriching themselves and their investors at Triller’s expense. This is nothing more than a transparent attempt by a Chinese conglomerate with tens of thousands employees to manipulate the US legal system by not responding to Triller’s complaint or answering for their violations.”

In terms of TikTok’s dealings with the Trump administration, the temporarily blocked ban is set for an argument in the US Circuit Court of Appeals on December 14.

Triller meanwhile is reportedly exploring a ‘blank-cheque’ merger that would take the company public.