Ok, so this appears to be over the fact that Pixelfed copied the names of the Instagram filters 1:1. They are not generic names like "blur" or "enhance" -- they are very specific names that Instagram has associated with their filters for years, like "Clarendon" and "Ludwig".<p>I'm sort of reading this thread and the Mastodon thread in disbelief at the defenders. Just change the names of the darn filters! (and not "iClarendon" and "iLudwig" for heaven's sake -- that is so childish.)<p>There are fights worth fighting out there -- abusive patent trolls, etc. -- this is not one of them. If this escalates they will lose 100% and waste tons of time and money, both of which could be better spent on actually building Pixelfed.<p>Sorry -- not the world's biggest Meta/FB/IG fan here but I am 100% with them on this one and if I were in charge I'd make the exact same threats. /rant over.
There is this additional post:<p>“Someone who works at Meta reached out and advised me to rename the filters asap.” [1]<p>So maybe the issue is simply that Pixelfed is using identical filter names.<p>[1] <a href="https://mastodon.social/@dansup/109596825332511647" rel="nofollow">https://mastodon.social/@dansup/109596825332511647</a>
<a href="https://w1.pixelcdn.net/assets/images/pixelfed-app-feed.png" rel="nofollow">https://w1.pixelcdn.net/assets/images/pixelfed-app-feed.png</a><p>Well the UI looks exactly like Instagram
I wonder if this was just lazy MVP development or a conscious strategy to get attention. I never would have heard of them without this controversy, and it's something very cheap for them to fix (just rename). Probably need to attract more than just HN, but if they can somehow turn this into a few mainstream press articles about "tiny Mastodon photo service attacked by Mark Zuckerberg, personally!", it's a win, especially since the remedy is renaming an internal product feature where the names themselves aren't even significant. (Probably doing a "community poll to come up with new names" would be a worthwhile growth hack, too.)
.. if this only about renaming filter names .. I do not get why pixelfeed made it an issue to even publish. I despise meta as much as anyone - but there was zero need for a shit post.
More speculation—Pixelfed’s new app icon is an imitation of Instagram’s:<p><a href="https://mstdn.social/@cyhwuhx/109597713552140253" rel="nofollow">https://mstdn.social/@cyhwuhx/109597713552140253</a>
I think Instagram has been super gracious here. I visited their site and it’s literally a 1:1 clone.<p>It’s not in defence of Meta but defence of the open source movement. Projects like this paint open source in the wrong light. An open source photo sharing up would have been cool but 1:1 clones are just unimaginative.
Pixelfed will be changing the filter names: <a href="https://mastodon.social/@dansup/109605006708970886" rel="nofollow">https://mastodon.social/@dansup/109605006708970886</a>
People in this thread seem to be confusing copying an idea vs. copying actual IP.<p>There is nothing stopping anyone from creating a TikTok clone, but there sure as hell are laws stopping anyone from directly ripping the UI (which Pixelfed did in this case).
Just change your mobile UI from being a carbon copy to something original? They even copied the names of the filters. A cease and desist seems justified.
If I post something to Instagram, then I delete it, or make my profile private, will it remain available on Pixelfed? IMO, this should be the litmus test for fair use of social networks by third-party clients.