Twitpic, the popular image sharing service, is shutting down due to a trademark dispute with Twitter. Users will have until September 25 to export all of their photos and videos.

“This is an unexpected and hard announcement for us to make,” Twitpic founder Noah Everett said in a blog post.

When Twitpic arrived on the scene in 2008, Twitter had no image hosting of its own. Twitpic provided this service, allowing users to upload photos and videos, and to share them via tweeting out a link. It did not take long for Twitpic to become “perhaps the best-established third-party image-sharing service for Twitter users,” according to CNET.

Even after Twitter launched its own photo sharing service in 2011, Twitpic remained hugely popular. But now, the social media company’s trademark demands are finally forcing Twitpic’s hand.

“A few weeks ago Twitter contacted our legal demanding that we abandon our trademark application or risk losing access to their API,” said Everett. “Unfortunately we do not have the resources to fend off a large company like Twitter to maintain our mark which we believe whole heartedly is rightfully ours. Therefore, we have decided to shut down Twitpic.”

Twitter, for its part, is claiming that the hostile move is all about brand protection.

“We’re sad to see Twitpic is shutting down,” a spokesperson for Twitter said in a statement. “We encourage developers to build on top of the Twitter service, as Twitpic has done for years, and we made it clear that they could operate using the Twitpic name. Of course, we also have to protect our brand, and that includes trademarks tied to the brand.”