Bulk of Chat App Monetization Antitrust, False-Ad Suit Advances

Most claims survived a motion to dismiss in a suit alleging Whop infiltrated a rival’s computers, lied to customers, and attempted to corner the market for monetizing Slack and Discord chat communities.

SlackPass Inc, which operates as LaunchPass, plausibly alleged attempted monopolization, computer fraud, false advertising, disparagement and commercial defamation, the US District Court for the Southern District of New York said in a Monday opinion. The court dismissed predatory pricing claims, saying LauchPass failed to explain how Frosted Inc.—Whop’s corporate name—sold its products at a loss given low marginal costs per customer.

Judge Edgardo Ramos’ decision advances LaunchPass’ ...