Meta is being sued by the Dfinity Foundation for the infinity logo.
The court action is predicated on registering a trademark for use in areas offering comparable products and services, rather than on Meta’s logo incorporating the infinity sign.
Lawyers for the Dfinity Foundation, a Swiss organization behind the Internet Computer blockchain, have launched a trademark infringement case against Facebook’s parent corporation Meta over its infinite logo.
Dfinity’s legal team said Meta Platforms was registering usage of its logo, which also employs the mathematical symbol for the notion of infinity, in some of the same or comparable places in which Dfinity has previously received registration for its markin a Friday court filing with the United States District Court for the Northern District of California.
Meta submitted an application with the United States Patent and Trademark Body, or USPTO, in March 2022, according to the blockchain business, and the same office awarded Dfinity registration in October 2018. Dfinity’s legal team further said that the infinite symbol has been used on the company’s website since March 2017.
Many experts believe that mathematician John Wallis was the first to use the “loopy” symbol to depict the notion of infinity in the 17th century, but the design might date back centuries. Dfinity’s complaint seems to be centered on registering a trademark for use in industries offering comparable products and services, such as computer software utilizing blockchain technology, rather than on Meta’s logo employing the infinite sign itself.
According to the complaint, “Meta and Dfinity strive to attract the same people, namely those who are searching for a unique and new online experience, built by users, for users.”
Meta “knowingly infringed” on Dfinity’s trademark based on its USPTO registration, according to Dfinity, and showed “willful and wanton contempt of Dfinity’s established and superior rights.” Dfinity has already lost income due to misunderstanding over the identical logos, according to the attorneys, and will continue to do so as well as risk “reputational injury” if the alleged mismatch persists.
“As a result of Meta’s unlawful activity, Dfinity has incurred irreparable loss and has no acceptable remedy at law,” according to the lawsuit. “Dfinity’s focus is on decentralization and interoperability, as opposed to Facebook’s (now Meta) centralized, closed system. Any link between Dfinity and Meta would lead Dfinity’s basic objective to be questioned by customers, including users and developers.”
Based on Meta’s claimed trademark infringement and “false designation of origin,” Dfinity’s legal team has asked for lawyers’ costs. In addition, the corporation requested punitive damages for any potential uncertainty about Meta’s products and services “as to the source, origin, sponsorship, and relationship.” The blockchain company has asked for a jury trial.
Since its inception in 2008, copyright and trademark concerns have arisen in the crypto sphere. Someone registered the Bitcoin (BTC) name and emblem with the Spanish Patent and Trademark Office anonymously in June 2020, seeking to “defend Bitcoin.” In November 2021, a legal team representing fast-food business Jack in the Box filed a lawsuit against FTX US, claiming that its “Jack” mascot and the crypto exchange’s “Moon Man” are too similar.
