TMTPOST -- ByteDance, the China-based parent company of TikTok, along with the short-video app itself, has filed an emergency motion to temporarily block a looming U.S. law requiring ByteDance to divest from TikTok by January 19 or face a nationwide ban. The request was submitted to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia on Monday, seeking relief while the companies await potential review by the U.S. Supreme Court. The filing warns that without a temporary block, the law will take effect, effectively shutting down TikTok—a platform with over 170 million monthly U.S. users—just before the upcoming presidential inauguration. The companies argue that such a shutdown would not only disrupt one of the country’s most popular communication platforms but also significantly reduce TikTok’s value to ByteDance and its investors. Businesses reliant on TikTok for customer engagement and sales would also face substantial losses. This legal move follows a ruling by a three-judge panel on Friday, which upheld the law mandating ByteDance to divest TikTok by early next year. The companies now have less than six weeks to comply or face a complete ban in the U.S. In their motion, ByteDance and TikTok's legal team emphasized the strong likelihood of the Supreme Court agreeing to hear the case and potentially overturning the lower court’s decision. They argued that a temporary pause is necessary to allow time for further judicial deliberation. The outcome of this legal battle could have far-reaching implications, not just for TikTok’s future in the U.S., but also for the broader conversation around technology regulation, international business, and free speech.