FlightAware drops Kalshi lawsuit over a market niche that data shows it never took off The flight-tracking company voluntarily dismissed, without prejudice and without sharing a motive for its decision.
However, the flight cancellation market never took off with Kalshi users. – FlightAware abruptly withdrew, without prejudice, its one-day-old lawsuit accusing prediction market Kalshi of misusing its flight data and trademark to power flight-cancellation bets. – The dismissal leaves open the possibility of refiling and comes amid social media backlash over alleged incentives for malicious flight disruptions and relatively low retail interest in Kalshi’s aviation contracts. – The case, which neither company has publicly commented on, had raised a novel question over whether prediction markets can rely on third-party data and trademarks without a commercial agreement, even as Kalshi faces separate regulatory and legal challenges in multiple states
FlightAware voluntarily dismissed its lawsuit accusing prediction markets platform Kalshi of using its flight data and trademark without permission on Tuesday, one day after filing the case in a New York federal court. In its dismissal notice filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, by FlightAware, the world’s largest flight-tracking platform, does not state the reasons why it decided to withdraw the lawsuit.
It dismisses the action “without prejudice,” allowing the company to refile its claims. However the motives could be social media backlash combined with very low retail interest in the aviation niche. According to a Fortune article in July, Kalshi decided to pause flight cancellation contracts, after social media users expressed concerns over malicious actors causing flight cancellations to collect payouts.