UPDATED 06:55 EDT / DECEMBER 10 2013

NEWS

Snapchat seeks to silence alleged co-founder Reggie Brown

Earlier this year, Snapchat, the controversial self-destructing messaging app was hit by a Facebook-like controversy when ousted co-founder Reggie Brown filed a case against the company

Brown’s case states that he is entitled to one-third ownership of Snapchat, along with co-founders Evan Spiegel and Bobby Murphy, claiming that the idea for the self-destructing messaging app came from him.  According to the unnamed sources who spoke to BusinessInsider, Brown was hanging out with his Kappa Sigma brothers when he first suggested the idea of a messaging app whose communications would be destroyed within seconds upon viewing. He first pitched the idea to Spiegel, convinced that he’d be taken seriously, and that did happen.  Unfortunately, so Brown claims, he was later removed from the picture, and Spiegel and Murphy went on to create Snapchat without him.

In one of Spiegel’s earlier interviews, he did mention that the idea for Snapchat came to him when one of his buddies said, “I wish these photos I am sending this girl would disappear.” That unnamed buddy may have been Brown.

And now, Snapchat wants to quiet Brown. The company is seeking a temporary restraining order against him and his attorney, who’s been talking to the press regarding protected matters.

Snapchat’s legal counsel, Quinn Emanuel, believes Brown provided deposition videos that were marked confidential to Business Insider and together with its partner Bruce Van Dalsem, they are seeking a temporary restraining order that would prevent Brown from leaking more information about the case.

In December 2, Luan Tran, Brown’s lawyer confirmed that his firm did provide videoclips of Spiegel’s and Murphy’s depositions to Business insider.  In one of the clips, Spiegel stated that “Reggie may deserve something for some of his contributions.”

“Plaintiff and his counsel boldly claimed they had a right to make such disclosures — despite the contrary terms of the Protective Order — because they unilaterally (and wrongly) determined that Snapchat had waived its rights under the Protective Order,” Van Dalsem wrote. “Plaintiff and his counsel also refused to cease further violations of the Protective Order, stating that they reserve the right to disclose Snapchat’s confidential documents and information to the media — at any time and without any warning or meet and confer — whenever they unilaterally determine that Snapchat has, in their erroneous view waived its rights under that Order.”

It is believed that there are more juicy bits in the depositions, thus Snapchat wants to stop Brown from revealing any more videos or information that could potentially pose “great or irreparable injury” to the company.

Brown is scheduled to appear in an exclusive interview with GQ, and Quinn Emanuel aims to have the restraining order in effect before that happens.

Brown and his legal team will of course, file for an opposition against the temporary restraining order.


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