Twitpic to shutter service after all

Twitpic on Friday put out word that the service is shutting down after all, apologizing for a "false alarm" that a merger would be its salvation.

Twitpic will close up shop on October 25, according to blog post by startup founder Noah Everett.

"I'm sincerely sorry (and embarrassed) for the circumstances leading up to this, from our initial shutdown announcement to an acquisition false alarm," Everett said.

"We were almost certain we had found a new home for Twitpic."

Twitpic announced in early September that it was shutting down that month because its bid to trademark its name was being opposed by San Francisco-based Twitter.

Weeks later, Twitpic crowed that the service for posting photos or video to Twitter was being acquired in a deal that would keep it alive.

"We worked through a handful of potential acquirers and exhausted all potential options," Everett said on Friday.

Twitpic launched in early 2008 and maintains that it filed to trademark its name with US patent officials the following year.

© 2014 AFP