After Mark Zuckerberg announced the transformation of the concept and name of Facebook in October 2021, META, a pioneering company that has been operating in the immersive and experiential technology industry since 2010 (which is registered as MetaX LLC), announced that it would sue the Zuckerberg’s company, for trademark infringement, considering that the decision of the businessman and his council put at risk the existence of the company and the business model that they have tried to develop and position over 12 years.

It is worth remembering that Facebook began to reorganize its strategy when it chose to change its name to Meta, to bet on the world of the metaverse, thus taking advantage of its already developed augmented reality and virtual reality devices.

In that sense, the multimedia art company said through a statement that “on October 28, 2021, Facebook took over our META brand and name (…) Amid the challenges of the pandemic and its impact on face-to-face space, we were putting the finishing touches on our new initiative, UNREALITY. Then one of the most powerful companies in the world took over our identity without warning.”

In this context, in the lawsuit dated July 19, 2022, it can be read that Facebook infringed META’s federally registered trademarks (in the United States), in addition to participating in “flagrant acts of unfair competition.”

It should be noted that in the United States, the regulation of registered trademarks is done through the Federal Trademark Registration Act of 1946, known as the Lanham Act. In turn, another 3 acts resulted in unfair competition: the Sherman Act, the Federal Trade Commission Act, and the Clayton Act.

Faced with this scenario, Facebook has not responded to META’s statements, which will probably have to face the company in court. Interestingly, this is not the first time that a company has complained that Mark Zuckerberg’s firm has used its name.

According to some media, other firms dedicated to the manufacture of non-technological products, such as one specializing in prosthetic limbs, have also attacked Facebook for using Meta as a name.