Will Twitter successfully sue Instagram for its Threads app?
Ever looked at a doppelganger and couldn’t help but squint and tilt your head, trying to spot the differences? That’s precisely what’s happening right now with Instagram’s new app, Threads, and Twitter. But just how much does the former resemble the latter?
Twitter doesn’t seem to take the perceived similarities lightly. Earlier this week, Twitter pulled up its legal sleeves and aimed a cease-and-desist letter right at Instagram’s parent company, Meta, accusing Threads of being a Twitter clone.
A bold move that has drawn attention from millions as this new kid on the social media block, Threads, is now in the limelight and under scrutiny as it takes a shot at challenging Elon Musk’s social media juggernaut.
The tussle
However, the folks at Threads didn’t take the accusations lying down. As the legal uncertainty hovers, users are getting busy exploring the features of this brand-new text-based app. Former Twitter Head of Trust and Safety Operations, Alexandra Popken, said, “People are calling it a Twitter clone but I think there are some key product differences.”
One major difference, according to Popken, lies in the audience. With Threads, Instagram users get a fresh platform to exchange text messages while Twitter continues to remain a niche space for politicians, celebrities, and news junkies. Threads, though not primarily aimed at politics, might attract journalists, politicians, and others looking for a Twitter alternative.
Adam Mosseri, Instagram’s CEO, clarified that Threads is not trying to replace Twitter, but rather create a more amicable public square for communities that either never embraced Twitter or are seeking a less hostile platform for conversations. However, he does acknowledge that politics and hard news will inevitably make their way into Threads. But what about these legal accusations?
The accusations
The legal battle took a turn when Alex Spiro, an attorney representing Twitter, claimed that Meta had unlawfully used Twitter’s trade secrets by hiring former Twitter employees to create Threads. In response, Meta’s spokesperson, Andy Stone, stated that “no one on the Threads engineering team is a former Twitter employee.”
Twitter’s legal accusations are facing skepticism as Jacob Noti-Victor, associate professor at Yeshiva University’s Cardozo Law School, states that the idea of creating a social media platform involving text certainly isn’t something that can be considered a trade secret. Intellectual property violations too seem doubtful, given that companies “can’t patent something that’s obvious” or copyright a general idea for a social media platform.
With Meta’s history of launching standalone apps that mirror competitors, and Twitter’s fresh accusations, the tension between these social media giants is palpable. Yet the user-base of Threads is growing. Alexandra Popken, now at content moderation startup WebPurify, says, “There’s like this period of time where the bad actors haven’t found it yet. It’s like this non-toxic, happy corner of the internet.”
On the other hand, Twitter, under Elon Musk, has drawn backlash due to the restrictions on the number of tweets users can view each day. Musk claims these restrictions are temporary due to excessive data pillaging, but users argue that it’s the result of cutbacks and non-payment of bills.
Ripple effect
This controversy has led many users to migrate to rival platforms, including Jack Dorsey’s Bluesky and German-owned Mastodon, causing them to pause new signups temporarily due to an influx of registrations.
With this tussle on full display and Twitter’s apparent downfall, one thing is certain – the landscape of social media platforms is evolving rapidly. As Alexandra Popken rightly points out, content moderation problems that have plagued other platforms “will certainly strike Threads over time.”
While Threads and Twitter continue their saga, the critical question for us, the end-users, is: are we ready to embrace this fresh change or are we still caught in the comforting familiarity of the tried and tested platforms?
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