Twitter threatens legal action against Meta over new ‘Threads’ app

Twitter has threatened Meta with legal action over its new social media platform ‘ Threads ,’ claiming that they have created a ‘copycat’ platform and hiring former Twitter staff to do so. Meta, the parent company of Instagram and Facebook led by Mark Zuckerberg , revealed Threads on Wednesday, a text-based app partnering with Instagram that is similar to Twitter and other apps. Hours after Threads was revealed, Twitter attorney Alex Spiro sent a letter to Mr Zuckerberg arguing that his company was guilty of ‘systematic, willful, and unlawful misappropriation of Twitter’s trade secrets and other intellectual property,’ according to Semafor . ‘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,’ Mr Spiro said in the letter. ‘Twitter reserves all rights, including, but not limited to, the right to seek both civil remedies and injunctive relief without further notice to prevent any further retention, disclosure, or use of its intellectual property by Meta.’ The attorney claimed that Meta has hired dozens of former Twitter staff who ‘had and continue to have access to Twitter’s trade secrets and other highly confidential information’. Mr Spiro argued that Meta urged those staffers to develop ‘Meta’s copycat ‘Threads’ app with the specific intent that they use Twitter’s trade secrets and other intellectual property in order to accelerate the development of Meta’s competing app, in violation of both state and federal law as well as those employees’ ongoing obligations to Twitter’.