Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta (formerly Facebook) is in hot water once again, and this time the fuss concerns a logo that has been disputed to be owned by the Web3 nonprofit Dfinity.
The Switzerland-based foundation behind the Internet Computer blockchain, Dfinity, has taken umbrage at Meta’s logo which is uncannily similar to its own.
The lawsuit filed in a California federal court on April 29 alleged that the new logo adopted by Meta will cause confusion with its own infinity symbol logo.
The Dfinity Foundation unleashed some harsh words to describe the company formerly known as Facebook:
“Dfinity would be severely harmed in its development of the Internet Computer and its ability to attract users if those users were to associate Dfinity with Meta’s sordid online privacy history.”
Trademark attorney Josh Gerben posted a copy of the complaint on May 3:
Infinity logos
The mathematical infinity symbol logo is not uncommon and is used by many other brands including those of Microsoft Visual Studio, Infinity Speakers, a model of Top Flite golf balls, EV Connect, and Infinity Wealth Management.
However, it appears to be the association with Facebook and its reputation that the Web3 Foundation is hot happy about.
Dfinity was founded in 2016 and registered a federal trademark for its infinity-symbol logo in 2018. Meta was rebranded from Facebook in late 2021 and launched with the Meta logo in the same year. The social media giant described its new logo as a continuous loop that resembles both the letter ‘M’ and an infinity sign, “symbolizing infinite horizons in the Metaverse.”
The complaint went on to state that Meta and Dfinity were aiming to attract the same users seeking an innovative and different internet experience.
“Despite knowledge of Dfinity’s mark, Meta chose to proceed with its application to obtain registration in some of the same or similar areas in which Dfinity has already obtained registration for its mark.”
It added that Meta also used the same descriptions as Dfinity in its definitions of “Goods and Services” for trademark applications.
Dfinity has already trademarked these which include “Design and development of computer hardware and software,” “Hosting software applications of others,” and “Hosting of digital content on the internet.”
Dfinity has requested that the court prevent Meta from using the logo while asking for an unspecified amount of relief and damages for “serious reputational harm.”
ICP price collapse
Dfinity’s token surged into the crypto top ten when it was launched in May 2021. However, ICP has since collapsed by a painful 98% from its all-time high near $700.
Today, the battered ICP coin is trading at $13.38 after losing 17.5% over the past week as the project fails to regain momentum among investors.
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