Why Is Twitter Suing Threads By Instagram?

Twitter is suing Threads by Instagram, possibly opening a new chapter in Meta's contentious history. This fresh controversy arises merely a day after the text-based social media app's official release. Notably, a formal letter from X Corp attorney Alex Spiro, on behalf of Twitter, accuses Meta of violating Twitter's "intellectual property rights."

This is not the first time CEO Mark Zuckerberg has found himself in the eye of a storm. With a history of copyright infringement and privacy disputes, including the infamous Cambridge Analytica scandal, this possible new legal challenge adds to a growing list of criticisms and controversies surrounding Zuckerberg's stewardship of Meta.

Why Is Twitter Accusing Threads Of Copyright Infringement?

Twitter's Allegations

In a cease-and-desist letter revealed on Twitter, penned by attorney Alex Spiro, he voiced grave concerns on behalf of Twitter. The allegation is that Meta Platforms ("Meta") has knowingly, systematically, and unlawfully misappropriated Twitter's trade secrets along with other intellectual property.

Further, Spiro added depth to his allegations by stating that Meta strategically hired scores of ex-Twitter employees who are privy to Twitter's confidential trade secrets and other highly sensitive information. He underscored the deliberate intent behind these hirings by Meta, as these employees are bound by ongoing obligations to Twitter, and many allegedly have improperly retained Twitter's documents and electronic devices.

The below is a leak of the letter sent by Spiro to Meta, as reported by @semafor.

The allegations centre on trade secrets shared by ex-Twitter employees hired by Meta, but also hints that Meta may have been scraping Twitter's data in violation of the terms of service. pic.twitter.com/Lo6usdsM7Q

— T(w)itter Daily News  (@TitterDaily) July 6, 2023

The letter doesn't stop at these accusations. It goes further to assert that Meta fast-tracked the development of their 'Threads' app, described as a direct mimic (or "copycat") of Twitter, in just a few months. The insinuation is that Meta had a clear motive of leveraging Twitter's trade secrets and intellectual property to expedite this process, thereby infringing upon both state and federal laws.

Spiro concluded by reiterating Twitter's intent to fiercely uphold its intellectual property rights and issued a strong demand for Meta to cease using any of Twitter's trade secrets or any classified information with immediate effect. Spiro warned that Twitter reserved all rights, including but not limited to the pursuit of civil remedies and injunctive relief—the letter ended by prohibiting Meta from scraping Twitter follower data.

Meta's Response

In response to the allegations, Meta’s communications director, Andy Stone, posted on Threads stating that none of the engineers on the team previously worked at Twitter. He did not, however, address the broader issue of the allegations that Twitter's intellectual property had been used in the development of Threads.

With Twitter ready to enforce its intellectual property rights and Meta defending its development practices, the dispute between these two social media powerhouses is heating up. The situation raises critical questions about the ethics and legality of competitive practices in the tech industry, and the outcome may well set the tone for how tech companies engage in competition in the future.

This is a developing story. We will endeavor to update this page in response to any further developments.