META, an installation art company, has alleged that Facebook infringed its federally registered trademarks and common law trademark rights and engaged in egregious acts of unfair competition. Facebook had changed its name to Meta in October 2021.
“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,” META, which specialises in virtual reality and augmented reality, said in a blog post. According to a Reuters report, the company discussed a potential partnership with Facebook in 2017.
The company requested a court order to block the social media company from using ‘Meta’ for goods and services. Founder and CEO of META Justin Bolognino stated that Meta/Facebook had “not only put our business in jeopardy but that of the entire industry and the intellectual property rights of the innovators that have helped build it”. The Verge reported that Meta/ Facebook has not responded to a request for comment.