There were few concerns when Facebook changed its name to Meta in October. Problems such as the company was planning to lead the nascent metaverse-however there is one aggrieved party taking some legal action against the giant company.
An installation-art company called META announced that it will be suing Facebook for trademark violation, alleging that Zuckerberg‘s name change violated the smaller companies’ established brand.
“On October 28, 2021, Facebook seized our META mark and name, which we put our blood, sweat, and tears into building for over twelve years,” reads the post of the smaller company. “Today, after eight months of trying to negotiate with Facebook in good faith to no avail, we were left with no choice but to file a lawsuit against them.”
Much of the case hinges on FB’s many privacy scandals, which Meta. is debates have made it impossible to share the name. Mita. is holds a valid name trademark; however, it may still be facing an uphill battle in the court, given the broad range of trademark applications Facebook has made since the name change became, official-including separate marks for messaging, financial services, and social networks. There are also many trademarks claiming the Meta for non-tech products, including a hard seltzer and manufacturer of prosthetic limbs.