Facebook’s parent company Meta Platforms was sued for trademark infringement in Manhattan federal court in a lawsuit filed Tuesday by MetaX, a company that creates immersive virtual reality experiences.
New Yorker MetaX told the court it was “crushed” by Facebook’s rebranding to Meta and that its “ability to operate as Meta has been eviscerated”.
MetaX accuses Meta of infringing on its trademarks and has sought a court order barring the social media company from using the name “Meta” for goods and services that overlap with MetaX’s, as well as an unspecified amount of damages.
Facebook renamed its social networking platform of the same name in October 2021, betting that what it calls the metaverse, a virtual reality space, will succeed on the mobile internet.
MetaX founder Justin “JB” Bolognino said in a statement that Meta Platforms “has not only put our business at risk, but that of the entire industry and the intellectual property rights of the innovators who helped build it.” .
Meta Platforms did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
MetaX specializes in “experimental and immersive technologies” using technologies such as virtual reality and augmented reality.
The company said in the lawsuit that it discussed a possible partnership with Facebook in 2017 and that a company executive praised one of MetaX’s experiences that year as “amazing” and “spectacular.”
MetaX said Meta Platforms’ new focus on the so-called metaverse and related virtual and augmented reality technology overlaps with its business, and that it has begun providing similar “immersive experiences” in some of the same places where it has hosted its exhibitions, including Coachella events. and South by Southwest.
MetaX said Facebook’s rebranding will take it out of business and that it has already made people mistakenly believe the companies are affiliates.
Source: CNN Brasil
