Snapchat and co-founders Evan Spiegel and Robert Murphy have settled an ownership dispute with a former Stanford classmate who claimed to be behind the disappearing picture messages the app is known for.

Terms of the settlement were not disclosed though they were on mutually agreeable terms.

Frank Reginald “Reggie” Brown IV filed a complaint at the Los Angeles Superior Court in February 2013, alleging to be Snapchat’s third co-founder before he was ousted shortly after the Venice startup’s launch. Brown said he was not credited or compensated for his role in thinking up the idea for disappearing messages and claimed one-third ownership over the company.

Snapchat said in a press release that Brown conceived the idea of an ephemeral messaging app while he was a student at Stanford University. Brown collaborated with Spiegel and Murphy on Snapchat during the startup’s early development days.

“We are pleased that we have been able to resolve this matter in a manner that is satisfactory to Mr. Brown and the company,” Spiegel said in a statement. “We acknowledge Reggie’s contribution to the creation of Snapchat and appreciate his work in getting the application off the ground.”

Staff reporter Melissah Yang can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @MelissahYang for the latest in L.A. tech news.