Facebook owner Meta Platforms Inc was hit with a trademark lawsuit in Manhattan federal court on Tuesday by MetaX LLC, a company that creates immersive virtual-reality experiences, for allegedly stealing its name for its pivot to the metaverse.
It accused Meta Platforms of infringing its federal"Meta" trademarks, and requested a court order that blocks the social media company from using"Meta" for goods and services that overlap with MetaX's as well as an unspecified amount of money damages. MetaX's founder, Justin"JB" Bolognino, said in a statement that Meta Platforms had"not only put our business in jeopardy, but that of the entire industry and the intellectual property rights of the innovators that have helped build it."MetaX specializes in"experiential and immersive technologies" using technologies like VR and augmented reality.