TikTok IP-Theft Lawsuit Moved Out of Texas by Appeals Court

The Fifth Circuit overruled a Texas district judge and ordered a Chinese company’s copyright suit against social media giant TikTok Inc. must be transferred to California.

Beijing Meishe Network Technology Co. Ltd, the owner of a number of Chinese copyrights, sued TikTok and its Chinese parent company in both China and in the US District Court for the Western District of Texas, accusing the popular app maker of stealing its source code. TikTok responded by seeking a transfer to Northern California, where TikTok has an engineering team. The app maker’s transfer motion was filed in May 2022 and denied 14 ...