A top First Amendment law firm is organizing a lawsuit of creators and small businesses to fight against a new law that could potentially result in a nationwide ban on TikTok. This law was signed by President Joe Biden on Wednesday and would require TikTok’s China-based parent company, ByteDance, to sell the app to an American owner or face shutdown. TikTok CEO Shou Chew has vowed to battle this decision in court, and efforts to challenge the law are already in progress just 24 hours after it was passed.
Davis Wright Tremaine, the law firm leading the charge against the potential TikTok ban, has a history of successfully fighting similar cases, including a lawsuit against the state of Montana and former President Donald Trump’s attempted ban on the app in 2020. The firm has been reaching out to TikTok creators across the country to encourage them to join the lawsuit, although it is unclear if TikTok is directly involved in funding the legal action. Some creators and small business owners have reported being contacted by lawyers about the possibility of joining a lawsuit to challenge the ban.
Small business owner Puneet Nanda, who experienced rapid success on TikTok and became a top seller on TikTok Shop, has expressed concerns about the impact of the potential ban on his business. Nanda, who has over 200 employees in the Los Angeles area, has seen a significant drop in sales in recent weeks due to uncertainty surrounding the app’s future. Despite the challenges, Nanda is still considering whether to participate in a lawsuit against the ban and plans to consult with his legal team for further guidance.
Creators such as Vitus “V” Spehar and @BlackJackAmerican have also been approached about joining a class action lawsuit to challenge the TikTok ban. Spehar, with over 3 million followers on TikTok, shared his hesitations about joining the lawsuit in a viral video, while @BlackJackAmerican, who has 84,000 followers, has provided information about stopping the ban on his TikTok bio. TikTok itself has been mobilizing its vast user base to protest the potential shutdown by urging users to contact Congress and voice their opposition to the ban.
The uncertainty surrounding the fate of TikTok has created anxiety among creators and businesses who rely on the platform for income. Many are concerned about the impact of a potential ban on their livelihoods and are weighing the risks of participating in legal action against the government. Despite the challenges ahead, efforts are being made to challenge the ban through legal avenues and mobilize support from the TikTok community to push back against the decision.
As the battle over the TikTok ban continues to unfold, individuals and businesses impacted by the potential shutdown are exploring their options to challenge the law. The involvement of a top First Amendment law firm and the mobilization of TikTok creators and users to protest the ban signal a growing resistance to the decision to shut down the popular app. The outcome of these legal efforts and the impact on the future of TikTok in the United States remain uncertain as the fight against the ban progresses.
