Facebook new rebranded company, Meta Platforms, INC. was recently sued for trademark infringement and unfair competition practices against METAx LLC, another company that operantes in the digital, virtual and augmented reality market, over the use of its Meta trademarks.
In the Lawsuit, filed on July, 19th, 2022, the Plaintiff states that “Facebook has brazenly violated fundamental intellectual property rights enshrined in U.S. law to obliterate a small business, Meta.” and that “Despite its actual knowledge of Meta, and apparently believing that it could trample the rights of this small business with impunity, Facebook has deployed its almost limitless resources to saturate the marketplace with its infringing META mark. Meta stands no chance against the corporate goliath that is Facebook.“
METAx LLC also provides information over two trademarks granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) with the word mark “M META” for classes 35 and 41 and with registration numbers 5,194,332 and 6,055,841 respectively. The Plaintiff also states that the companies’ logos are conceptually identical, using the word META proceeded by a symmetrical object that in both instances suggests the letter M, as the comparison below provides guidance:
Facebook (Meta Platforms, INC.) should soon reply to this lawsuit and this will be a discussion worth accompanying in the IP field. A probable low-distinctiveness defense of the “M Meta” will be argued by the defendant, possibly trying to guide the case that the Meta name is of general public use and even trying to invalidate the trademarks registrations.
For all purposes, and independently if this was actually a risk already predicted by Facebook/Meta IP Counsel due to its rebranding, this lawsuit ilustrastes very well the importance of an IP due diligence prior to launching new brands, products and services in the market.
Case Number: 1:22-CV-06125 | Filing Date: Jul. 19, 2022 | U.S. District Courts; New York Southern District Court | View the entire public Demand from the Lawsuit bellow:
