Brazilian Court Orders Meta To Change Name Following Trademark Dispute
In a significant legal development, a court in São Paulo has issued an order mandating Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, to discontinue the use of the name “Meta” in Brazil within 30 days.
The ruling concludes a protracted seven-month legal battle over trademark rights between Meta and Meta Serviços em Informática, a Brazilian digital transformation consultancy established in 1990.
Meta Serviços had secured its trademark in 1996, a registration subsequently affirmed by the National Institute of Industrial Property (INPI) in 2008, long before Mark Zuckerberg’s company transitioned its name from Facebook to Meta.
Emphasizing the longevity of the Brazilian firm’s trademark registration, spanning over a quarter of a century, the judges underscored the necessity for foreign entities to adhere to local regulations when operating in Brazil.
The plaintiff, Meta Servicos, headquartered in Barueri, presented compelling evidence during legal proceedings, alleging that since Meta’s rebranding in 2021, it has been ensnared in over 100 legal disputes and faced Instagram account deactivations on grounds of impersonation.
In alignment with the plaintiff’s contentions, the appeals court in Sao Paulo has decreed that Meta will be subject to a fine of 100,000 reais (€18,524.38) per day for non-compliance with the court’s directive.
Meta’s rebranding initiative, previously known as Facebook, was motivated by a strategic pivot towards the development of the “metaverse,” a virtual environment envisaged as the next frontier of digital interaction.
