Copycat App: Twitter threatens lawsuit on Zuckerberg’s Threads

In a brewing legal dispute, Twitter has issued a threat of a lawsuit against Meta, the parent company of Instagram, over its recently launched platform called Threads. The new text-based companion app for Instagram bears similarities to various other text-based social platforms, including Twitter.

On Wednesday, July 5, Instagram introduced Threads to the public, aiming to provide users with an alternative means of communication within the Instagram ecosystem. However, Meta’s CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, announced on Thursday that Threads had already amassed a staggering 30 million users within its first day, significantly overshadowing its competitors.

Just hours after Threads was unveiled, Alex Spiro, an attorney representing Twitter, sent a letter to Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta, accusing the company of utilizing Twitter’s “trade secrets and other intellectual property” in the creation of its Threads app, thereby directly competing with Twitter, according to Forbes reports.

In the letter, Spiro stated, “Twitter intends to strictly enforce its intellectual property rights and demands that Meta take immediate steps to stop using any Twitter trade secrets or other highly confidential information.”

Furthermore, the attorney emphasized that Twitter reserved all rights, including pursuing civil remedies and seeking injunctive relief, without providing further notice, to prevent any continued use, disclosure, or retention of its intellectual property by Meta.

Spiro also accused Meta of hiring numerous former Twitter employees who had access to Twitter’s trade secrets and other highly confidential information. These individuals were allegedly involved in the development of the ‘Threads’ app, further fueling Twitter’s concerns about the potential misuse of its proprietary information.

The dispute between Twitter and Meta could potentially escalate into a legal battle if the two parties fail to reach a resolution. The outcome of this conflict may have significant implications for the future of both companies in the social media landscape.

As the situation unfolds, Twitter is determined to protect its intellectual property rights, while Meta faces the challenge of addressing the allegations and mitigating any potential legal consequences. The tech industry will be closely watching the developments of this dispute as it unfolds in the coming weeks.