American Airlines sues The Points Guy over ‘infringing’ app

American Airlines has sued the airline news and guides blog The Points Guy for copyright infringement, claiming that the company and its owner utilise its branding and goodwill to “unfairly compete” in the airline rewards programme space.

The Points Guy (TPG) is a B2C media company that covers the latest developments in commercial aviation and cruise markets, with a focus on helping readers save money on travel.

Originally, the company began as a blog providing advice to travellers on how to maximise credit card and rewards points for air travel, but has since grown to become a “lifestyle media brand”.

In September 2021, TPG launched a mobile application called the TPG App, with a stated goal of helping users: “learn about points, miles, loyalty programmes, while maximising their earning potential and how to effectively burn those earned points and miles to see the world”.

As well as offering advice and analysis, American said that the app “encourages” users to provide their airline loyalty programme information, including American Airlines’ AAdvantage scheme, and “prominently” displays trademarks and copyrights related to each.