TikTok sues Montana after state move to ban app

FILE PHOTO: TikTok app logo is seen in this illustration taken, August 22, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -TikTok Inc on Monday filed a lawsuit challenging the state of Montana's new ban on use of the Chinese-owned short-video app.

ByteDance-owned TikTok argues the ban, which would take effect on Jan. 1, violates First Amendment rights of the company and users. The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Montana, also argues the ban is pre-empted by federal law because it intrudes upon matters of exclusive federal concern and violates the Commerce Clause of the U.S. Constitution, which limits the authority of States to enact legislation that unduly burdens interstate and foreign commerce.