{"id":1198072,"date":"2023-10-30T18:19:28","date_gmt":"2023-10-30T22:19:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.prime-wow.com\/?p=1198072"},"modified":"2023-10-30T18:19:28","modified_gmt":"2023-10-30T22:19:28","slug":"a-software-company-called-threads-says-meta-tried-to-buy-its-domain-and-kicked-it-off-facebook","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.prime-wow.com\/?p=1198072","title":{"rendered":"A software company called Threads says Meta tried to buy its domain and kicked it off Facebook"},"content":{"rendered":"

A UK-based software company called Threads Software Limited is threatening legal action against Meta over its use of the name Threads<\/ins><\/a>. The company, which says it\u2019s owned the \u201cThreads\u201d trademark since 2012, makes an \u201cintelligent message hub\u201d that uses AI to help businesses keep track of phone calls, emails and other messages.<\/p>\n

Threads Software Limited claims that Meta lawyers made four separate attempts, beginning in April 2023, to buy the software company\u2019s threads.app domain, and eventually shut down its Facebook account. \u201cEvery offer was declined,\u201d the company said in a statement<\/ins><\/a>. \u201cIt was made clear to Meta\u2019s Instagram that the domain was not for sale. In July 2023, Meta\u2019s Instagram announced its \u2018threads\u2019 social media platform and removed Threads Software Limited from its Facebook platform.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The software company said that it\u2019s giving Meta 30 days to \u201cstop using the Threads name\u201d and that it will \u201cseek an injunction from the UK courts\u201d if the social media company declines to do so. In a statement, Threads Software\u2019s CEO John Yardley said it was \u201cnot an easy decision\u201d to take on Meta, but that the \u201cbusiness now faces a serious threat from one of the largest technology companies in the world.\u201d<\/p>\n

Meta didn\u2019t immediately respond to a request for comment. It\u2019s not clear how much money Meta may have offered for threads.app, but Yardley\u2019s statements offer a rare look at the kind of backroom negotiations that can happen in order to secure a sought-after domain or username.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s also worth noting that the software maker wasn\u2019t the only company using the Threads name at the time Meta launched its Twitter competitor. Fashion retailer American Threads<\/ins><\/a> controlled the @Threads handle on Instagram at the time of the service\u2019s launch. The company jokingly responded to commenters at the time, and posted on the new Threads service about people mixing up the clothing brand with the Meta-owned service. Meta used @threadsapp<\/a> on Instagram and threadsapp.net on Threads, at the time of the service\u2019s launch.<\/p>\n

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Screenshot by Karissa Bell via Instagram<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

A month later, the retailer\u2019s Instagram account changed handles<\/ins><\/a> to @americanthreads (and americanthreads.net on Threads) without explanation, while Meta took control of the @Threads handle. Representatives for the clothing brand didn\u2019t immediately respond to a request for comment, but the circumstances are strikingly similar to how Meta quietly gained control<\/ins><\/a> of the @Meta handle on Instagram more than a year ago. That username was also controlled by a separate entity \u2014 an independent motorcycle publication called META \u2014 but the account was later subsumed by the social network without explanation.<\/p>\n

Representatives of Meta, the magazine, never commented directly on how their account changed hands, but wrote about their dismay in learning of Facebook’s name change. \u201cWith the flip of a switch our identity was suddenly watered down, and we watched our name circle the drain and wash away with something we had no control over,\u201d the magazine\u2019s cofounder wrote in a blog post that\u2019s since been deleted. The magazine now uses the name Vahna<\/ins><\/a>.<\/p>\n

For now, it appears Threads Software Limited is hoping for a different outcome. \u201cOver the last 10 years, we have made a large investment in the Threads name and we did not want to potentially have to write-off this investment simply because Meta happened to like the name we had already coined for a messaging service,\u201d it wrote in a blog post<\/ins><\/a>. \u201cFor us to change the service name simply to avoid confusion with Meta\u2019s product could well set back the service enough for us to lose that technological lead.\u201d<\/p>\n

If you have been offered money in exchange for your domain name or handle from Meta or another social media company, reach out to me at karissa.bell [at] engadget.com or on Signal at +1.628.231.0063.<\/em><\/p>\n

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https:\/\/www.engadget.com\/a-software-company-called-threads-says-meta-tried-to-buy-its-domain-and-kicked-it-off-facebook-221928864.html?src=rss
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\nSource: Engadget – A software company called Threads says Meta tried to buy its domain and kicked it off Facebook<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A UK-based software company called Threads Software Limited is threatening legal action against Meta over its use of the name Threads. The company, which says it\u2019s owned the \u201cThreads\u201d trademark since 2012, makes an \u201cintelligent message hub\u201d that uses AI … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[99,110],"tags":[98],"class_list":["post-1198072","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-engadget","category-unfiltered-rss","tag-engadget"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.prime-wow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1198072","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.prime-wow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.prime-wow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.prime-wow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.prime-wow.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1198072"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.prime-wow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1198072\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.prime-wow.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1198072"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.prime-wow.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1198072"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.prime-wow.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1198072"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}