Twitter deletes plagiarised jokes for 'copyright infringement'

You'll have to come up with your own 140-character gems from now on

Twitter has been reportedly removing tweets for copyright infringement (Photo by DAMIEN MEYER/AFP/Getty Images)

Crafting the perfect tweet to achieve viral glory is no mean feat. For those who do, there can be nothing as frustrating as seeing someone else steal your 140-character nugget of gold without giving you any credit.

But fear not, because now it seems Twitter is cracking down on people who steal jokes from other users.

Citing “intellectual property” rights, the social media site has been reportedly removing plagiarised tweets for copyright infringement.

The Verge reports that at least five separate tweets have been deleted by Twitter for copying a joke posted by Olga Lexel, who goes by the username @runolgarun.

Her tweet read: “Saw someone spill their high end juice cleanse all over the sidewalk and now I know god is on my side.”

Soon after she made the joke, the freelance writer noticed it popping up elsewhere on the site, without acknowledging her as the author.

She confirmed to The Verge that she had filed a request with Twitter for the tweets to be removed. She added that she had done so on a number of previous occasions and that the company typically removes them within a few days.

In its guidelines on how to file complaints, the company states: ”Twitter will respond to reports of alleged copyright infringement, such as allegations concerning the unauthorized use of a copyrighted image as a profile photo, header photo, or background, allegations concerning the unauthorized use of a copyrighted video or image uploaded through our media hosting services, or Tweets containing links to allegedly infringing materials.”

However, it does not appear to specifically include text and the written word within these guidelines.

When contacted by The Independent, Twitter declined to comment