Twitter Threatens Legal Action Against Meta’s App “Threads”

Source: BBC News - Link to Article

Twitter is considering legal action against Meta over its newly launched rival app, Threads. Meta claims Threads as a “friendly” alternative to Twitter, but Twitter’s Elon Musk has accused Meta of cheating. In a legal letter, Twitter alleged that former Twitter staff, now working for Meta, helped create Threads. Despite the legal dispute, Threads has gained more than 70 million users since its launch, while Twitter currently boasts an estimated 350 million users.

The look and feel of Threads resemble Twitter, with a familiar news feed and reposting features. However, US copyright law does not protect ideas, so Twitter would need to prove that Meta unlawfully used its intellectual property, such as programming code. Interestingly, in 2012, Meta was granted a patent for the system that displays newsfeeds on Facebook.

Twitter attorney Alex Spiro sent a letter to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg accusing Meta of “systematic, wilful, and unlawful misappropriation of Twitter’s trade secrets and other intellectual property.” The letter claims that Meta hired numerous former Twitter employees who had access to Twitter’s trade secrets, helping Meta develop the “copycat” Threads app. Twitter demands that Meta ceases using its trade secrets and highly confidential information, reserving the right to seek civil remedies and injunctive relief.

Both Meta and Twitter have been contacted for comments regarding this legal dispute. Elon Musk responded to the issue, stating that “competition is fine, cheating is not.” Meta spokesperson Andy Stone denied the allegation, asserting that no former Twitter employees are part of the Threads engineering team.

Threads has gained significant attention, potentially posing problems for Twitter. Venture capital firm Cleo Capital’s managing director, Sarah Kunst, suggests that Threads could offer a “brand-safe environment” for existing Instagram advertisers. She anticipates continued growth as the app allows easy cross-posting to platforms like Instagram.

The rivalry between Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg over Threads is evident. Zuckerberg broke his 11-year silence on Twitter to post a popular meme of two nearly identical Spider-Man figures pointing at each other. Musk responded, emphasizing that it is better to be attacked by strangers on Twitter than to engage in the false happiness of Instagram.

Threads differentiates itself from Twitter by allowing longer posts of 500 characters and 5-minute videos compared to Twitter’s limits of 280 characters and 2 minutes and 20 seconds, respectively. However, Twitter offers features like direct messaging, trending stories, and hashtags that are not present in Threads. Verification on Threads is available, but Twitter reserves it as part of its paid services.

Twitter CEO Linda Yaccarino tweeted that while Twitter is often imitated, it can never be duplicated. Both Meta and Twitter have undergone significant layoffs this year, with Meta announcing a reduction of approximately 10,000 staff members and Twitter experiencing waves of redundancies following Musk’s takeover.

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