Twitter has recently announced its intention to sue Meta, the parent company of Facebook, over the launch of its new text app called Threads. Within just 24 hours, Threads has already gained a substantial user base of tens of millions. Reports from US media indicate that Twitter is accusing Meta of utilizing stolen trade secrets and intellectual property in the development of their rival app, sparking a potential legal battle between the social media giants.
In a letter addressed to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and dated Wednesday, Twitter’s legal representative Alex Spiro accused Meta of hiring former Twitter employees to create a “copycat” text app, while also alleging the theft of Twitter’s trade secrets and intellectual property. The letter served as a formal notice to Meta, indicating Twitter’s strong determination to enforce its intellectual property rights. In light of potential legal action, Twitter requested Meta to preserve all relevant documents related to the development of Threads.
In response to these allegations, Meta spokesman Andy Stone denied any involvement of former Twitter employees in the Threads engineering team. Stone emphasized that such claims were baseless and unfounded.
When The Associated Press reached out to Twitter for comment, they received a rather unconventional response in the form of a poop emoji. This unique reply reflects the peculiar approach the company has adopted since it came under the leadership of billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk.
Elon Musk, who acquired Twitter for a staggering $44 billion (€40.4 billion) in 2022, has remained silent on the matter. Similarly, Twitter CEO Linda Yaccarino refrained from providing explicit remarks and instead tweeted, “We’re often imitated — but the Twitter community can never be duplicated.”
Threads, launched by Meta’s Instagram employees on Wednesday night, has quickly amassed a significant user base within its initial 24 hours. Twitter has been facing challenges in retaining its user base since Musk assumed control of the company. His unpredictable public behavior and statements have prompted some users to explore alternative platforms.
While former US President Donald Trump’s Truth Social has failed to attract a large number of users, this could present an opportune moment for Zuckerberg and Meta to strengthen their position. However, it is important to note that the company, previously known as Facebook, has a track record of allowing projects to fade away.
Notably, Threads was not launched in any of the 100 countries within the European Union due to the bloc’s stringent data security laws.
Source link: Read the original post
