A company that says it has used the Meta name for more than a decade is suing the parent company of Facebook and Instagram for “brutally infringing fundamental intellectual property rights” with its rebranding last year.
New York-based virtual reality company META.is is suing Meta in Manhattan federal court, according to a complaint made public on Tuesday.
“Facebook has brutally violated fundamental intellectual property rights enshrined in US law to exterminate a small business, Meta,” META.is lawyers wrote in the compliant. “Meta doesn’t stand a chance against the corporate goliath that is Facebook.”
Founded in 2010, META.is produces “multi-sensory live experiences” in “experiential and immersive technologies” at events, including SXSW, Coachella and Cannes Lions, according to the company.
After Mark Zuckerburg announced Facebook’s rebranding as Meta in October 2021, META.is says it approached the social media giant with evidence that it infringed META.is’ intellectual property rights. META.is says it has been trademarked for its name.
New York-based virtual reality company META.is is suing Meta in Manhattan federal court. META.is produces “multi-sensory live experiences” in “experiential and immersive technologies”. META
The companies engaged in fruitless negotiations for eight months, and then left META.is with no choice but to sue Meta this week because her business has been “irrevocably and irreparably harmed,” the lawsuit said.
The Meta rebrand has damaged META.is operations by confusing potential customers, the company claims.
“Consumers will likely mistakenly believe that Meta’s products and services come from Facebook and that Meta is somehow affiliated with or associated with Facebook,” the lawsuit reads.
Facebook rebranded as Meta in October 2021. AFP via Getty Images
Meta did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In a statement to The Post, META.is founder and CEO Justin Bolognino said the company has been “overwhelmed by the support we’ve received from the maker community and the wider public” since the lawsuit was filed.
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