Twitter Issues Legal Threat to Rival Thread: "We Cannot Be Replicated" Warning

30 Million Users Join Threads Within a Day of Launch
Twitter Says "Must Stop Using Trade Secrets"

Facebook's parent company Meta Platforms has drawn significant attention by launching a new social networking service (SNS) called 'Threads,' prompting Twitter to respond with threats of legal action.

On the 6th (local time), according to CNBC and other outlets, Twitter sent a warning letter to Mark Zuckerberg, Meta's CEO, signed by in-house lawyer Alex Spiro. Twitter alleged that there were organized and illegal misappropriations of trade secrets during the launch process of the Threads service and expressed its willingness to take legal action.

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

In the letter, lawyer Spiro stated, "Twitter plans to strictly enforce its intellectual property rights" and urged Meta to "immediately take measures to stop using Twitter's trade secrets or critical information." He further claimed, "Meta instructed its employees with the specific intent to use Twitter's trade secrets and intellectual property to develop the imitation app 'Threads,' which violates both state and federal laws."

Twitter's legal threat came amid the public's strong interest in Threads, which was unveiled the day before. In less than a day since its launch, Threads secured over 30 million users, ranging from Microsoft (MS) founder Bill Gates to broadcaster Oprah Winfrey, demonstrating its potential as a genuine 'Twitter rival.'

In response to Twitter's legal warning, Meta stated, "None of the employees on the Threads engineering team are former Twitter employees," indicating that it is not a significant issue.

While Elon Musk, Twitter's chairman and chief technology officer (CTO), who had previously engaged in a war of words with CEO Zuckerberg, has made no remarks following the Threads launch, Twitter CEO Linda Yaccarino sent a message suggesting that Threads cannot replicate Twitter.

On the same day, CEO Yaccarino tweeted, "You built the Twitter community," adding, "It is irreplaceable." She emphasized, "This is a public square," and "We are often imitated, but the Twitter community can never be duplicated."

Although there was no direct mention of Threads, CEO Yaccarino's tweet was interpreted as targeting Threads, which closely resembles Twitter.