British startup Bluejay Technologies has filed a lawsuit against Spotify, accusing the streaming giant of patent infringement related to its collaborative listening features, "Remote Group Session" and "Jam."
The lawsuit, filed on Aug. 2 in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, claims that the Swedish audio streamer copied Bluejay's patented technology without authorization.
Bluejay developed an app in 2015 that allows users to create playlists and invite friends to listen simultaneously.
According to the filing, the startup shared detailed information about its patented technology with Spotify during discussions in 2018. Not long after, Spotify launched its "Remote Group Session" feature in 2020, followed by the "Jam" DJ feature in 2023, allegedly without securing permission from Bluejay.
During its fundraising phase, Bluejay engaged in "B2B discussions with streaming companies and music labels," where it provided comprehensive PowerPoint presentations detailing the technical workings of its app.
The complaint mentions that Spotify considered a non-disclosure agreement with Bluejay, suggesting that the streamer was aware of the proprietary nature of the technologies discussed.
In April 2023, Bluejay was awarded a patent for its "System for Streaming" technology, which it claims Spotify used in the contested features. The lawsuit provides a technical explanation of how Spotify's collaborative listening functionalities allegedly infringe upon Bluejay's patented technology.
Specifically, Bluejay asserts that the "Jam" feature, which allows a premium customer to restart sessions and any user to join, mirrors its own system for shared playlist management.
"Jam provides simultaneous searching for users in a session in which a premium customer may restart the session and any user may join the session. This service was promoted as a way to engage, share, and discover music with friends," read the filing.
"Jam utilizes Bluejay’s patented technology in providing services in Group Session and Jam (the accused services) including providing a shared playlist where playlist management is limited to the host."
Bluejay is reportedly seeking damages for the alleged infringement, as well as pre-judgment and post-judgment interest, costs and attorney fees, according to Digital Music News.
Spotify has not commented on the lawsuit or the allegations made by Bluejay Technologies as of late.
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