Twitter is exploring legal action against Meta in connection with its rapidly developing rival programme Threads.
Threads, which was launched to millions on Wednesday, is comparable to Twitter and has been marketed as a “friendly” alternative by Meta executives.
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: France In Uproar As Cop Who Killed Nahel Receives $1m Donation
Elon Musk of Twitter stated that “competition is fine, cheating is not,” although Meta refuted in a legal letter that ex-Twitter employees assisted in the creation of Threads.
According to Meta, more than 30 million individuals have signed up for the new app, and according to Statista, this is less than a tenth of Twitter’s projected 350 million users.
Threads has a similar appearance and feel to Twitter, according to BBC News technology writer James Clayton.
However, because US copyright law does not protect ideas, Twitter would have to prove in court that its own intellectual property, such as programming code, was taken.
“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,” according to the letter.
In response to a tweet referencing the legal letter, Mr Musk stated that “competition is fine, cheating is not.”
Threads, according to Sarah Kunst, managing director at venture financing firm Cleo financing, might provide a “brand-safe environment” for existing Instagram advertisers who feel they can allocate some budget and see what happens.
She said that, while the app’s 30 million users may have resulted from an early surge, it will most likely see a constant growth in users.
They’ve made it very easy to cross-post to other platforms like Instagram, she says, so I think we’ll continue to see growth.
Mr. Musk and Mr. Zuckerberg have both recognised their rivalry over Threads, which is related to Instagram but operates independently.
Mr Zuckerberg broke more than 11 years of silence on Twitter to tweet a widely popular meme of two virtually identical Spider-Man figures pointing at each other, implying a stand-off, as it launched in 100 countries.
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: Isreal And Palestine War Rages On
Mr Musk later stated, as the word “Threads” trended globally on his site, “It is infinitely preferable to be attacked by strangers on Twitter, than to indulge in the false happiness of hide-the-pain Instagram.
In a post on Thursday, Twitter CEO Linda Yaccarino stated that while the platform is often imitated, it can never be duplicated.
