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ByteDance will receive a brief reprieve from legal troubles.

After the announcement that the Trump administration would formally ban the use Chinese-born social media platform TikTok, tears were shed and voices were raised. A lot of influencers do rely on the app to make their livings, so banning it in its entirety in the west would leave many without income. TikTok’s parent company did reach an agreement with Oracle and Walmart to sell the US rights to the app, but as nothing has yet been finalized, it would not be enough to prevent the ban. It seemed, over the weekend, that Trump’s promise to ban the app on the stroke of midnight Sunday night would come true. And then it didn’t.

Judge Carl Nichols of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia intervened at the last moment over the weekend, granting an injunction to ByteDance against the ban order. It’s not an especially long reprieve, only keeping the ban from going into effect until November 12, but if ByteDance and TikTok can get their ducks in a row and finalize the deal with Oracle and Walmart in the next month, it may be enough to stop the ban entirely.

“We’re pleased that the court agreed with our legal arguments and issued an injunction preventing the implementation of the TikTok app ban,” TikTok said in a statement. “We will continue defending our rights for the benefit of our community and employees.”

“At the same time, we will also maintain our ongoing dialogue with the government to turn our proposal, which the President gave his preliminary approval to last weekend, into an agreement,” the statement added.

Credit: Reuters

The US Department of Commerce, acting on the President’s behalf on the ban, has complied with the injunction and backed off for the moment. They have stressed, however, that when the time comes, they will not hesitate to drop the hammer once again.

“The Government will comply with the injunction and has taken immediate steps to do so, but intends to vigorously defend the E.O. and the Secretary’s implementation efforts from legal challenges,” the department said in a statement.