Twitter is threatening authorized motion over Meta’s new social media service, Threads, with an lawyer for Twitter describing as a “copycat” app allegedly developed by hiring former workers of the microblogging platform owned by Elon Musk and utilizing the corporate’s commerce secrets and techniques, in keeping with a letter posted by Semafor.
The letter’s writer, lawyer Alex Spiro of legislation agency Quinn Emanuel, did not instantly reply to a request for remark. Meta declined to touch upon the letter, however communications director Andy Stone responded on Threads, writing, “Nobody on the Threads engineering staff is a former Twitter worker — that is simply not a factor.”
Twitter, which laid off its communications workers after Musk accomplished his $44 billion buy of the corporate final yr, did not reply to an electronic mail requesting remark.
The threatening letter comes after the debut of Threads on Wednesday, which inside hours had signed up 30 million new users, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg stated Thursday on the brand new platform. Threads has an analogous look to Twitter, permitting customers to love or repost messages, however it’s driving on the recognition of Instagram by permitting individuals on that platform to observe their present Instagram userbase.
“Our imaginative and prescient is to take the perfect elements of Instagram and create a brand new expertise for textual content, concepts and discussing what’s in your thoughts,” Meta founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg stated in an Instagram post after Threads was made accessible for obtain. “I believe the world wants this type of pleasant neighborhood, and I am grateful to all of you who’re a part of Threads from day one.”
Musk, who purchased Twitter final yr, took goal at Threads in a tweet on Thursday, writing, “Competitors is ok, dishonest shouldn’t be.”
Threads’ foray into the social media area comes at a precarious time for Musk and Twitter. Some Twitter customers have expressed frustration with the most recent adjustments instituted by Musk, who not too long ago throttled the number of tweets that nonpaying customers are capable of view per day. Twitter has additionally seen a spike in hate speech since Musk purchased the platform final yr.
In its letter, which was addressed to Zuckerberg, Twitter alleges that Meta employed “dozens of former Twitter workers” that had entry to the corporate’s “commerce secrets and techniques and different extremely confidential data.” Spiro additionally claimed that Threads was constructed inside months by tapping the information of those ex-Twitter staff.
“Twitter has severe considerations that Meta Platforms has engaged in systemic, willful, and illegal misappropriation of Twitter’s commerce secrets and techniques and different mental property,” Spiro wrote.
Twitter plans to “strictly implement its mental property rights,” he added.
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