Facebook, the world’s largest social media platform, has been sued by the DFINITY Foundation for logo trademark infringement just a few months after it was rebranded.
The DFINITY Foundation is a non-profit organization developing the “Internet Computer,” a public scalable blockchain network platform based on the Internet Computer Protocol (ICP).
Last year, Facebook, the company that owns both Facebook and Instagram, staked a claim on the Metaverse in a race to own it, rebranded itself to Meta Platforms, or “Meta” for short, and changed its logo in October 2021.
The DFINITY Foundation’s lawsuit against Facebook came as no surprise. Many on Twitter suggested that the company file for copyright infringement following Facebook’s rebranding under the tweet by the DFINITY Foundation on the new logo when Facebook rebranded to Meta. The lawsuit by DFINITY foundation a few months after the rebrand.
According to the lawsuit filed on Friday, April 29, the DFINITY Foundation claims that Meta Platforms Inc’s rebranded infinity logo infringes on their trademark logo.
Additionally, the complaint stated that Meta’s rebranding from Facebook to Meta Platforms last year to focus on developing and providing services in the Metaverse would lead consumers to believe the company is affiliated with DFINITY Foundation owing to its use of a highly similar infinity symbol logo.
The DFINITY Foundation lawsuit against Facebook is one of many filed against Facebook. Facebook’s rebranding to Meta sparked numerous controversies, and a few companies sued Facebook over a similar symbol and name. A notable case is the Meta Company, which sued Facebook in November 2021 for alleged trademark name infringement. It claimed that Facebook stole its name and livelihood after it rebranded to Meta in October 2021 and refused to buy them.
Amid the legal battle, Meta Platforms Inc. is preparing to open its first physical store, where shoppers can purchase and try virtual reality headsets and other gadgets, as Meta plots a path to mainstream adoption of its much-hyped Metaverse. The 1,550 square-foot Meta Store will open on May 9 at the company’s Burlingame campus in California.
