VANCOUVER — The SnapChat social media platform is being sued in Canada by a Vancouver-based company that accuses the picture and video service of patent infringement.
Investel Capital Corp. is taking aim at SnapChat's ability to pinpoint the geographic location of its social media users.
SnapChat's platform allows users to send and receive photos, videos and other images over the Internet using a smartphone or other device. It uses geofilters to help connect users to a particular place, including a business or private event.
Investel is asking the Federal Court of Canada to award it monetary compensation and an order that prohibits California-based SnapChat from infringing on its patent in the future.
It claims that SnapChat's geofilter technology infringes on a Canadian patent owned by Investel, which says it has developed a global marketing system that taps into relationships between users and advertisers.
A SnapChat Inc. spokesperson said the company doesn't typically comment on pending litigation.
