The company of art installations META (also known as Meta.is) announced the complaint a Meta (formerly known as Facebook), to have them stolen the name Meta. A legal battle to determine if Mark Zuckerberg’s company actually ‘stole’ the name from the artistic company.
Meta vs Meta, legal battle over Facebook’s new name
In the United States, trials are identified with the names of the two parties involved. And when they are part of the same family, it can happen that the same surname is used: the divorce case that gives the film its title Kramer vs. Kramer (with Dustin Hoffman and Meryl Streep) is one example. But in this case the parties involved are not from the same family. And we don’t expect a dramatic and reconciling ending.
Going to the Meta.is homepage, you will find an image with the hashtag #therealMeta is a post that denounces in no uncertain terms what the art installation company thinks is identity theft.
The post begins like this: “On October 28, 2021, Facebook took the META name and brand, for which we have shed our blood, sweat and tears to build for over twelve years “.
The company goes on to say that “We were as surprised as you are. In the midst of the challenges of the pandemic and its impact on the world of the organization of experiences, we were putting the finishing touches on our new initiative, UNREALITY. Then, one of the most powerful companies in the world took our identity without warning us ”.
META explained that he tried to talk to Meta (formerly Facebook) for some time without obtaining results. And then “eight months of unsuccessful Facebook negotiation attempts, we were left with no alternative but to sue ”.
The copyright dispute has only begun
Meta.is explains that it has a copyright valid on the Meta name. But their legal battle will certainly not be without obstacles. The former Facebook has started renaming (and registering new names) for different products, from its viewers that from Oculus Quest to Meta Questup to accounts, services and much more.
On the other hand, Meta.is explains that it cannot share the name with Zuckerber’s company, because “customers in all likelihood could mistakenly think that Meta’s services and products come from Facebook. And that Meta is associated with the ttoxicity that is inextricably linked to Facebook “.
At the time of the change of the name from Facebook to Meta, many analysts had commented calling it a “cleaning of the facade” of the company after the hearings in the Senate for the Cambridge Analytica scandals and regarding the unpublished studies on the impact of social media on minors. Now Meta.is thinks all those image problems they were inherited from the name Meta, ending up damaging them too.
At the moment Meta (formerly Facebook) did not respond to requests for comments of the press. But in all likelihood, he is already preparing to debate the matter in court. If a return to the Facebook name seems unlikely, possible compensation cannot be ruled out. But the legal battle is just beginning and no one can know where it will go. We will keep you posted.