If you’re thinking of copying Twitter, think again, because they just got themselves officially patented!
The social network company first applied for a patent back in 2007 and now the patent has been granted, Twitter be able to protect itself from competitors like Facebook copying its core features.
What exactly is a patent?
When an inventor or social media moguls such as Jack Dorsey come up with an innovative idea (such as Twitter) the first thing they apply for is a patent. This protects their unique idea from being used or copied by anyone else without permission from the owner or creator.
How does this affect future social media platforms?
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office granted Twitter a patent for what they have termed a “Device independent message distribution platform”.
This will make life a little difficult for social innovators or a social media agency wanting to provide a similar service to that of Twitter, but this may very well just encourage them to pull up their socks and head back to the drawing board for an even better idea”
Why has Twitter claimed the rights to such a broad patent?
In a statement to the public in the early hours of this morning, Twitter said:
“Like many companies, we apply for patents on a bunch of our inventions. We also think a lot about how those patents may be used in the future, which is why we introduced the Innovator’s Patent Agreement to keep control of those patents in the hands of engineers and designers.”
What do YOU think?
Do you think there should be a rule against patents this broad? Unleash your thoughts on the comment box below!
