Meta set for legal battle with UK firm of 10 people
Facebook owner Meta is facing a legal challenge from a British software company called Threads, which employs just 10 people and says the tech giant has stolen their name.
Threads Software Limited (TSL) has written to Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta, giving them 30 days to change the name of their app Threads. If Meta refuses, TSL will seek an injunction from the English courts.
Software development and consultancy JPY Limited trademarked the name ‘Threads’ in 2012 for its messaging hub service, which is now used worldwide. The US is their largest market while the UK makes up around 10-15 per cent of their customer base.
John Yardley, founder of JPY Ltd and managing director of TSL, said: “Taking on a US$150 billion company is not an easy decision for us to make.
“We have invested 10 years in our platform, establishing a recognised brand in the name, Threads. Our business now faces a serious threat from one of the largest technology companies in the world.
“We recognise that this is a classic ‘David and Goliath’ battle with Meta. And whilst they may think they can use whatever name they want, that does not give them the right to use the Threads brand name.”
In April, TSL rebuffed Meta’s offer of £6,500 to buy the ‘threads.app’ domain from them. Meta raised the offer to £145,000, which TSL also rejected. But a few months later Meta launched its Threads app, with five million signing up in a matter of hours.
In a letter to Meta, seen by Morning Wire, TSL’s lawyer wrote: “Despite clearly being aware of our clients’ reputation and use of the sign ‘Threads,’ in July 2023, Meta’s Instagram launched a new product called ‘Threads’ and this causes confusion, risks harm to our client’s established reputation, and infringes the
Trade Mark.”
Yardley told Morning Wire he is “daunted” by the prospect of taking on such a huge company. “Whatever we do, Meta will swamp it – they could absolutely swamp us,” he said.
At the end of 2022, Meta had around 86,000 employees, according to data from Macrotrends.net.
Meta did not immediately respond to Morning Wire‘s request for comment.