When Facebook rebranded as Meta last October, many worried the social media giant was gearing up to dominate the emerging metaverse space. But one company has been directly affected by the name change, and now the dispute is headed to court.
An installation art company called Meta (referred to here as Meta.is) announced on Tuesday, July 19, that it is suing Meta (formerly Facebook) for trademark infringement. The smaller company claims that CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s rebranding violated their established trademark.
“On October 28, 2021, Facebook took control of our META trademark, which we have built with our blood, sweat, and tears for over 12 years,” the smaller company wrote on their website. “After 8 months of good-faith negotiations with Facebook without any results, we have no choice but to take legal action.”
Meta.is also pointed to Facebook’s history of privacy scandals as a reason the two companies can’t share the name. “We can no longer offer goods and services under the META brand,” their complaint states, “because consumers might mistakenly believe that Meta’s goods and services come from Facebook or are connected to Facebook.”
Although the smaller company holds a valid trademark for the name, it could face a tough legal battle. Facebook has registered multiple trademarks under different names since the rebrand, covering messaging, social networking, and financial services. There are even trademarks for non-tech products using the Meta name, including soft drinks and prosthetics manufacturers.
Facebook (Meta) has not responded to requests for comment.
Source: The Verge
