The rebranding or transformation of Facebook to Meta has been a long and winding road. When the firm originally announced its name change to Meta, it was involved in a trademark battle with another company over the word “Meta.”
Facebook is now encountering yet another stumbling block in its quest to create the metaverse, a virtual environment in which individuals can communicate with one another by creating avatars. The infinite logo is causing legal problems for the corporation.
The Dfinity Foundation, a non-profit blockchain development organization, has filed a trademark infringement lawsuit against Meta in the United States District Court.
Meta’s ‘infinity-loop’ emblem is too close to the company’s mark, according to the Swiss firm, which has urged Meta to stop using it immediately. The firm is afraid that if the logos are too similar, people will be confused and that it would undermine its brand image.
Meta Platforms (Facebook) is being sued over its logo.
A Swiss non-profit that develops blockchain technology (Dfinity), has filed a lawsuit claiming that Meta's new logo is too similar to its own.
Apparently, an infinity logo is all the rage in Web3.#meta #Facebook #Web3 pic.twitter.com/4Ay4a12uKy
— Josh Gerben (@JoshGerben) May 2, 2022
Dfinity was formed in 2016 and registered its emblem as a federal trademark for decentralized platforms and blockchain technology services in 2018. The Meta allegedly knew of the firm’s trademark and yet filed the application in March 2022, according to the company.
It’s also worth noting that both firms are drawing a comparable demographic of consumers, albeit Dfinity may have an advantage here because it registered its mark before Meta.
Dfinity also didn’t claim the color palette as part of the trademark, implying that the firm owns all variations of the design and that the color difference between the two logos is irrelevant.
Meta’s “sordid” history will be harmful to the company’s reputation
Josh Gerben, a trademark attorney, revealed the specifics of the complaint in a tweet.
Dfinity has more problems than only the matter of misleading customers. Meta’s “dreadful” track record when it comes to user privacy might stymie the company’s efforts to persuade users to trust blockchain technology.
Now that Meta appears to be embracing blockchain technology, clients may be even more confused, given both businesses operate in the same sector.
Meta and Dfinity seek to attract the same users, namely those who are looking for an innovative and different internet experience, created by users, for users.
“Both Meta and Dfinity are aiming at the same consumer demographic: people looking for a unique and creative internet experience created by users, for users.“Furthermore, both Meta and Dfinity use the same marketing channels, so customers will very likely come across the marks through those same means, “Dfinity’s lawyer wrote in court filings.“
The corporation is requesting that the court order Meta to cease using the logo and recoup revenues from the alleged trademark violation.
It’s difficult to predict if Dfinity will win this lawsuit because the infinite sign is utilized by a number of other companies, including Microsoft Visual Studio, Infinity Speakers, and others.