Vapor
TikTok and parent company ByteDance are suing US-based rival Triller.
As
first reported by CNBC today, TikTok has filed a countersuit in San
Francisco federal court in response to Triller’s patent infringement
lawsuit filed against TikTok in a Texas court in July.
Triller’s
complaint named both ByteDance and TikTok and alleged that they have
infringed U.S. Patent No. 9,691,429 titled, “Systems and methods for
creating music videos synchronized with an audio track”.
CNBC
reports that TikTok’s parent company has requested a “judicial
declaration” stating that hasn’t infringed on Triller’s patent.
ByteDance
and TikTok’s lawyers reportedly wrote that “a judicial declaration is
necessary to resolve the real, immediate, and justiciable controversy
concerning these issues and to determine the respective rights of the
parties”.
According to Triller’s 19-page legal document filed in
Texas this summer, and which you can read in full here here, TikTok is
accused of infringing on a feature that allows users to stitch multiple
videos together while using a single audio track.
The feature in
question, TikTok’s “Green Screen Video” effect, was introduced “on or
about December 11, 2019 and “allows users to shoot multiple video takes
synchronized to an audio track” according to the complaint.
TikTok has not responded to MBW’s request for comment at the time of writing.
In
a statement sent to MBW in response to the news of the lawsuit, Triller
CEO Mike Lu claimed that “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”.
He also suggested that this is “a David and Goliath story” and that “we look forward to our day in court”.
Added
Lu: “We brought a claim against them for this violation over three
months ago, and they have failed to respond, claiming they didn’t have
the time. 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. Instead, they are attempting to skirt law so that they can
keep stealing IP and technology.
“We will not be intimidated and
we will not back down. We may be small, but we have right on our side.
This is not about TikTok and Triller; this is about all of the
hard-working US entrepreneurs whose companies and technology continue to
get ripped off by Chinese-based and Chinese government-controlled
entities with unlimited resources — entities that play by a different
set of rules.
“This is a David and Goliath story, and we look
forward to our day in court, as well as our David and Goliath ending.
We’re not only standing up for Triller; we’re standing up for its
investors, its entrepreneurs, its employees, and all US-based businesses
who have to deal with this on a daily basis.”
Source: www.musicbusinessworldwide.com
Author:MURRAY STASSEN
Editor:Vapor