Twitter is considering legal action against Meta Platforms in response to the launch of its new Threads service, according to a report from Semafor on Thursday. This information comes from a letter penned by Twitter’s attorney Alex Spiro to Meta’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg.
In the correspondence, 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.”
Threads made its debut on Wednesday as Meta seeks to challenge Elon Musk’s Twitter, leveraging Instagram’s extensive user base.
Both Meta and Spiro have not yet responded to inquiries from Reuters about the situation.
Analysts have noted that Threads’ integration with Instagram may provide it with a pre-existing user base and a framework for advertising, potentially diverting ad revenues from Twitter during a critical period for the platform under its new leadership.
The Threads application allows users to log in with their Instagram credentials, making it easy for the over 2 billion monthly active Instagram users to follow the same accounts they are already connected to.
Danni Hewson, head of financial analysis at AJ Bell, remarked, “Investors can’t help but be a little excited about the prospect that Meta really has a ‘Twitter-Killer’ on their hands.”
Some commentators view Threads as a chance to develop a healthier alternative to Twitter. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez expressed hope for a platform characterized by positivity and community engagement, stating, “May this platform have good vibes, strong community, excellent humor, and less harassment.”
Similar to Twitter, the app allows users to post short text updates that can be liked, reshared, and commented on. However, it lacks a direct messaging feature. Posts can contain up to 500 characters and can include links, images, and videos extending up to five minutes, as detailed in a blog post by Meta.
The app is currently accessible in over 100 countries through both Apple’s App Store and Google’s Play Store, according to the blog.
© Thomson Reuters 2023
