The lawsuit by blockchain non-profit organization Dfinity Foundation, alleging that Meta’s logo could confuse consumers with its logo, was dismissed by a San Francisco Federal Court on Thursday 9 November. Charles Breyer, US District Judge, ruled that the logos’ different designs and target audiences were adequate to avoid confusion.
Breyer also granted Dfinity permission for amends to its lawsuit.
To reflect its new focus on’metaverse,’ Facebook changed its name to Meta in 2021. The new logo is meant to symbolise the metaverse, which promises infinite horizons.
Federal trademarks are held by Dfinity for two logos that are reminiscent of infinity symbols. These logos represent an ‘infinite public blockchain network’ used to host smart contract. These trademarks include a multicoloured “rainbow” logo and one featuring Dfinity’s name without a specific colour.
Breyer stated that Dfinity hadn’t shown that it had used its uncoloured logo commercially and that the rainbow version was not similar enough to Meta’s to be included in the lawsuit.