WASHINGTON (US) – A judge in Pennsylvania on Saturday dismissed a request by three TikTok content creators to block a government ban on Apple Inc and Alphabet Inc Google app stores on a temporary basis offering the short-video sharing app for download. The ban was set to take effect on Sunday.
The content creators said they would “lose access to tens of thousands of potential viewers and creators every month, an effect amplified by the looming threat to close TikTok altogether.”
US District Judge Wendy Beetlestone wrote that the ban is “undoubtedly an inconvenience”. However, while denying the request, she said, “they will still be able to create, publish, and share content for their millions of current followers.”
Another legal challenge from TikTok and Chinese owner ByteDance to the Commerce Department order is still being awaited.
ByteDance said on September 20 it had made a preliminary deal for Walmart Inc and Oracle Corp to have stakes in the operations of the short video sharing app in the US. However, the exact terms are not clear.
The Commerce Department has given an additional week to the companies to finalise a deal before an order banning TikTok from US app stores comes into effect.