Current:Home > InvestTwitter threatens to sue its new rival, Threads, claiming Meta stole trade secrets-DB Wealth Institute B2 Expert Reviews
Twitter threatens to sue its new rival, Threads, claiming Meta stole trade secrets
View Date:2024-12-23 18:17:55
Twitter has threatened to take legal action against Threads, a new rival app from Meta that has gained tens of millions of users since its release on Wednesday.
On the same day, an attorney representing Twitter, Alex Spiro, sent a letter to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg accusing Threads of engaging in "systematic, willful, and unlawful misappropriation of Twitter's trade secrets and other intellectual property."
The letter, which was first reported by Semafor , accuses Meta of hiring dozens of former Twitter employees with the intention of creating a "copycat" platform.
"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," Spiro wrote. "Twitter reserves all rights, including, but not limited to, the right to seek both civil remedies and injunctive relief without further notice."
Meta Communications Director Andy Stone dismissed the accusations in a Threads post on Thursday.
"No one on the Threads engineering team is a former Twitter employee — that's just not a thing," he wrote.
Over on Twitter, owner Elon Musk replied to a post reporting the letter by writing, "Competition is fine, cheating is not."
Twitter has seen a host of challenges from similar microblogging platforms since Musk first acquired the platform for $44 billion last year. But none have grown as quickly as Threads, where, Zuckerberg reports, more than 70 million users had signed up by Friday morning.
The app's user interface looks and operates much like Twitter, with buttons to like, reply, repost or quote a thread. But users have bemoaned the lack of some classic Twitter features, like hashtags and direct messaging.
Meta responded to NPR's request for more information by pointing to Stone's response on Threads.
Since March, Twitter's communications team has sent a standard automatic response to emails from the press, containing nothing but a poop emoji.
veryGood! (3)
Related
- Melissa Gilbert recalls 'painful' final moment with 'Little House' co-star Michael Landon
- Von Miller speaks for first time since arrest, says nothing that was alleged was true
- 15-year-old surfer dies in South Australia state’s third fatal shark attack since May
- U.S. launches retaliatory strikes after drone attack on Iraq military base wounds 3 U.S. service members, Pentagon says
- Japan to resume V-22 flights after inquiry finds pilot error caused accident
- The 55 Most Popular Amazon Items E! Readers Bought in 2023— K18, COSRX, Laneige, Bissell, and More
- What stores are open and closed for New Year’s Eve 2023? See hours for Walmart, Target, CVS and more
- Tribes guard the Klamath River's fish, water and lands as restoration begins at last
- Round 2 in the Trump-vs-Mexico matchup looks ominous for Mexico
- A number away from $137 million, Michigan man instead wins $1 million in Mega Millions game
Ranking
- Today's Craig Melvin Replacing Hoda Kotb: Everything to Know About the Beloved Anchor
- Skull found in 1986 identified as missing casino nurse, authorities say
- How recent ‘swatting’ calls targeting officials may prompt heavier penalties for hoax police calls
- NFL Week 17 picks: Will Cowboys or Lions remain in mix for top seed in NFC?
- Mike Tyson emerges as heavyweight champ among product pitchmen before Jake Paul fight
- Oregon man reported missing on Christmas Day found alive in a dry well after 2 days
- That's So Raven's Anneliese van der Pol Engaged to Johnno Wilson
- 'Let's Get It On' ... in court (Update)
Recommendation
-
Oil Industry Asks Trump to Repeal Major Climate Policies
-
Wanted: Colorado mother considered 'primary suspect' in death of 2 of her children
-
Pierce Brosnan faces charges after allegedly walking in Yellowstone's thermal areas
-
More Ukrainian children from Ukraine’s Russia-held regions arrive in Belarus despite global outrage
-
Olympic Skier Lindsey Vonn Coming Out of Retirement at 40
-
Fox News Mourns Deaths of Colleagues Matt Napolitano and Adam Petlin
-
Why corporate bankruptcies were up in 2023 despite the improving economy
-
Newly released Gypsy Rose Blanchard to tell her story in docuseries: 'Do not resort to murder'