{"id":32656,"date":"2023-07-07T11:08:30","date_gmt":"2023-07-07T15:08:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ifintechworld.com\/investing\/this-thread-social-platform-existed-years-before-metas-new-app-and-it-could-sue-experts-say\/"},"modified":"2023-07-07T11:08:32","modified_gmt":"2023-07-07T15:08:32","slug":"this-thread-social-platform-existed-years-before-metas-new-app-and-it-could-sue-experts-say","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ifintechworld.com\/?p=32656","title":{"rendered":"This \u2018Thread\u2019 social platform existed years before Meta\u2019s new app \u2014 and it could sue, experts say"},"content":{"rendered":"

Well, you might have to connect the dots \u2014 er, threads \u2014 but there\u2019s enough of a link that some legal experts say it could pose a problem for Mark Zuckerberg\u2019s so-called \u201cTwitter killer\u201d app.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n

The football platform, called Thread, is the brainchild of Cynthia Zordich, wife of retired NFL player Michael Zordich. She told MarketWatch that she launched her Thread platform in 2016 so that women tied to the sport \u201ccould find each other and promote each other in our business endeavors.\u201d<\/p>\n

In 2018, Zordich applied to trademark the name \u201cThread\u201d through her attorney, Ben Leece, a partner in the Pennsylvania firm RatnerPrestia. Leece noted that the trademark has been approved, although it\u2019s still going through an \u201copposition period\u201d that allows for those who might claim rights to the name to raise objections.\u00a0<\/p>\n

So now Meta launching its own Threads social networking service leaves room for Zordich to potentially claim that Zuckerberg\u2019s company has infringed upon her trademark, legal experts say.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Michael J. Feigin, a New York and New Jersey attorney who specializes in trademark, patent and copyright issues, told MarketWatch that Zordich and her attorney could make the case that Meta\u2019s Threads is \u201cgoing to cause confusion in the marketplace\u201d and \u201cweaken\u201d the football-related Thread trademark. He added that it doesn\u2019t matter if Zordich uses \u201cThread\u201d while Meta uses \u201cThreads,\u201d since they\u2019re close enough.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe \u2018s\u2019 doesn\u2019t make a difference,\u201d Feigen said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Leece, Cynthia Zordich\u2019s attorney, said that he and his client will review the issue, but he wouldn\u2019t comment on specifics. He did say, however, that \u201cMs. Zordich is always passionate about her cause.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Meta didn\u2019t respond to a MarketWatch query about the matter.<\/p>\n

Of course, there are plenty of other companies that use \u201cthread\u201d or \u201cthreads\u201d in their names. In fact, a platform called Threads, which bills itself as a \u201creplacement\u201d for the messaging program Slack, has already gotten attention in the first 24 hours after Mark Zuckerberg\u2019s Threads launched, as a result of people going to it thinking it was the new Meta-backed app.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In a statement, Rousseau Kazi, CEO and co-founder of the Slack-style Threads platform that launched in 2019, acknowledged why the word might prove popular with others. <\/p>\n

\u201cThreads is a powerful word and an internet native term,\u201d said Kazi, who, coincidentally, previously worked at Meta\u2019s Facebook platform. \u201cGiven this, it comes as no surprise that Meta chose a powerful label to represent their take at building the town square.\u201d<\/p>\n

He gave no indication that he would pursue any legal action against Meta. If anything, Kazi and his company seem to be using the naming confusion as a way to promote themselves, as evidenced by this tweet:<\/p>\n

A spokesperson for Kazi\u2019s company didn\u2019t immediately respond to a MarketWatch question as to whether the company has applied for a trademark.<\/p>\n

But what about the other \u201cthread\u201d companies out there? Would they have some legal claim against Meta, especially if they have trademarked their name like Zordich has?\u00a0<\/p>\n

Experts say it depends partly on the nature of the company. If it\u2019s a business involved in the fashion industry \u2014 and there are several of those out there with a \u201cthread\u201d moniker or something similar \u2014 it wouldn\u2019t likely have a case. That\u2019s because there\u2019s less chance of people confusing a fashion \u201cthread\u201d company with a social-media \u201cthread\u201d company.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

But in Zordich\u2019s case, her company is built on the idea of building social connections, which experts say gives her some legal leverage.<\/p>\n

Still, Gerard Filitti, a New York attorney with The Lawfare Project who has worked on trademark issues,makes the point that any claims of trademark infringement would come up against one potential roadblock. Namely, the fact that \u201cthread\u201d is a fairly common word.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not a strong trademark to begin with,\u201d Filitti said.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Meta may already be facing a legal challenge of a different sort. Alex Spiro, an attorney representing Twitter, has written to Zuckerberg, saying Meta has \u201cengaged in systemic, willful, and unlawful misappropriation of Twitter\u2019s trade secrets and other intellectual property.\u201d<\/p>\n

Spiro added: \u201cTwitter intends to strictly enforce its intellectual property rights.\u201d<\/p>\n

More on MarketWatch: <\/p>\n

Opinion:\u00a0<\/strong>Meta\u2019s Threads has big initial momentum, but sustaining it will be key<\/p>\n

Twitter CEO responds to Meta Threads: \u2018We\u2019re often imitated \u2014 but the Twitter community can never be duplicated\u2019\u00a0<\/p>\n

Meta Threads: How to sign up for the Twitter rival \u2014 and why you should think twice before deleting it<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Read the full article here<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Well, you might have to connect the dots \u2014 er, threads \u2014 but there\u2019s enough of a link that some legal experts say it could pose a problem for Mark Zuckerberg\u2019s so-called \u201cTwitter killer\u201d app.\u00a0 The football platform, called Thread, is the brainchild of Cynthia Zordich, wife of retired NFL player Michael Zordich. She told […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":32657,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"video","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[239],"tags":[83],"class_list":["post-32656","post","type-post","status-publish","format-video","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-investing","tag-featured","post_format-post-format-video"],"yoast_head":"\nThis \u2018Thread\u2019 social platform existed years before Meta\u2019s new app \u2014 and it could sue, experts say | iFintechWorld<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Well, you might have to connect the dots \u2014 er, threads \u2014 but there\u2019s enough of a link that some legal experts say it could pose a problem for Mark\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/ifintechworld.com\/?p=32656\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" 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