Twitter is mulling over potential legal measures against Meta, the parent company of Facebook, due to the rapid proliferation of its new competitor app, Threads. Elon Musk, the influential figurehead of Twitter, has voiced concerns over the perceived unfair practices involved in developing Threads. While Twitter has raised accusations that former Twitter employees have had a hand in creating Threads, these allegations have been firmly denied by Meta.

Threads, which had an expansive launch, has already gained a robust user base of more than 70 million, according to Meta’s reports. This number is impressive, considering Twitter’s user base stands at approximately 350 million as reported by Statista.

However, establishing a case for intellectual property infringement could be challenging for Twitter due to the specificities of U.S. copyright laws. These laws primarily protect tangible forms of expression and not abstract ideas. Therefore, to win a legal battle, Twitter would need to prove that Meta not only copied the idea but also appropriated Twitter’s proprietary code or other intellectual properties.

In an interesting twist, Alex Spiro, a legal representative from Twitter, has sent a letter to Meta’s CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, accusing Meta of the intentional and unlawful use of Twitter’s trade secrets to develop Threads. The letter implies that Meta strategically hired numerous ex-Twitter employees, who had access to confidential information from Twitter, aiding in the development of Threads.

On the other hand, Meta’s spokesperson Andy Stone countered these claims, stating that none of the engineers working on Threads had previously been employed by Twitter. He asserted this as an effort to debunk Twitter’s allegations of unethical practices in Threads’ development.

The rivalry between Twitter and Threads is not just a backstage battle but has spilled into the public domain. Both Musk and Zuckerberg have publicly acknowledged this brewing competition. Threads, which operates independently but is connected to Instagram, seems poised for growth due to its association with the established social media giant.

Sarah Kunst, a representative from the venture capital firm Cleo Capital, suggested that Threads, due to its affiliation with Instagram, could be seen as a safe brand platform for advertisers. She also expressed that the app’s initial surge in user numbers could stabilize over time due to the ease of cross-posting to platforms like Instagram.

Amid this escalating tension, Twitter’s CEO, Linda Yaccarino, also chimed in, underscoring Twitter’s uniqueness and the futility of attempts to duplicate it. All this unfolds during a challenging year for both companies, with Twitter and Meta experiencing considerable layoffs in their workforce.