TikTok asks judge to block US from banning app download

TikTok's parent company, ByteDance, has filed a lawsuit on Wednesday (Sept. 23) with the US federal court to ban Washington from removing TikTok from the US app store starting Sunday, saying the authorities are not really concerned about national security, but rather political considerations related to the November's election.

WeChat, another Chinese app, has successfully obtained a California court order to prevent its removal from the market.

ByteDance, said on Monday it would own 80% of TikTok Global, a newly created U.S. company that will own most of the app's operations worldwide. ByteDance added that TikTok Global will become its subsidiary.

Oracle Corp and Walmart Inc have agreed to take stakes in TikTok Global of 12.5% and 7.5%, respectively. On Monday, Oracle said ByteDance's ownership of TikTok would be distributed to ByteDance's investors, and that the Beijing-based firm would have no stake in TikTok Global. The deal is pending approval by the US and Chinese governments.