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A fierce legal battle over video-editing technology is boiling over in federal court, with TikTok and Chinese firm Beijing Meishe Network Technology Co. Ltd. filing dueling motions for summary judgment in a high-stakes intellectual property dispute. At the core of the lawsuit: who really owns the video-editing tool that powers some of TikTok’s U.S. apps?

The TikTok Chinese Editing Lawsuit, filed in 2023, alleges that a former Meishe employee stole proprietary source code and carried it to TikTok, where it allegedly resurfaced in apps now circulating widely among American users. Meishe insists the code in those apps is "strikingly or substantially similar" to its own—enough to trigger liability for copyright infringement and trade secret theft.

TikTok Fires Back: Meishe Never Owned the IP

TikTok, however, is hitting back hard. In its motion, the social media juggernaut claims Meishe lacks any legitimate claim to the technology. TikTok asserts that the true owner is China Digital Video (XAT)—a publicly traded Chinese company and Meishe’s former parent—which purportedly developed the disputed software over a decade ago.

"After more than four years of litigation, the truth has finally emerged: Meishe does not own the intellectual property it asserts as the basis for its claims," TikTok’s legal team declared, accusing Meishe of submitting false sworn declarations and dodging discovery to obscure XAT’s ownership.

Meishe Counters: We Hold the Copyrights and the Proof

Meishe, however, claims otherwise. In its own motion, it insists it has both registered and unregistered copyrights, along with a declaration from XAT confirming that any rights to the Meishe app were transferred to Meishe in full. The company also alleges that TikTok’s summary judgment bid is a smokescreen to deflect from the former employee’s alleged misconduct.

The former staffer, Meishe contends, took the code to TikTok where it was weaponized for monetized video apps under the company’s umbrella. That alone, Meishe argues, qualifies TikTok—and by extension parent company ByteDance—for vicarious liability, even if direct infringement isn't proven.

TikTok: No U.S. Copyrights, No Scienter, No Case

TikTok countered that Meishe never registered its copyrights in the U.S., and that the claims rely on "speculation rather than evidence" of intent or knowledge—key to trade secret violations. ByteDance, TikTok said, is being unfairly dragged in as a "passive equity holder" that played no role in the alleged conduct.

Berne Convention May Tip the Scales

Despite lacking U.S. registration, Meishe maintains its copyrights are enforceable under the Berne Convention, an international treaty that permits foreign creators to defend their works in U.S. courts. Meishe also claimed that even under U.S. law, its rights are fully valid and enforceable.

Legal Titans Face Off

The courtroom clash features heavyweight firms on both sides. Meishe is represented by attorneys from Cherian LLP, Flores Law PLLC, and Mann Tindel Thompson, while TikTok and ByteDance have a multi-firm defense that includes White & Case LLP, Covington & Burling LLP, Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP, and others.

As the motions for summary judgment and sanctions grind forward, the case could set key precedents on cross-border software IP enforcement, especially as geopolitical scrutiny over TikTok intensifies in Washington.

No trial date has been set, and representatives from both sides declined to comment on the pending motions.