Dfinity Foundation files lawsuit against Meta over infinity logo

Lawyers for Dfinity Foundation, a Switzerland-based nonprofit down the Internet Computer blockchain, person filed a suit against Facebook’s genitor institution Meta for trademark infringement implicit its infinity logo.

In a Friday tribunal filing with the United States District Court for the Northern District of California, Dfinity’s ineligible squad claimed Meta Platforms was registering usage of its logo, which besides uses the mathematical awesome for the conception of infinity, “in immoderate of the aforesaid oregon akin areas successful which Dfinity has already obtained registration for its mark.” According to the blockchain firm, Meta filed an exertion with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, oregon USPTO, successful March 2022, portion the aforesaid bureau granted Dfinity registration successful October 2018. Dfinity’s ineligible squad besides said the institution had been utilizing the infinity awesome connected its website since March 2017.

While galore experts recognition mathematician John Wallis with archetypal utilizing the "loopy" awesome to correspond the conception of infinity successful the 17th century, the plan whitethorn spell backmost centuries anterior to that usage. Dfinity’s suit seemed to beryllium based not connected Meta’s logo utilizing the infinity awesome itself, but alternatively registering a trademark for usage successful fields offering akin goods and services, including machine bundle incorporating blockchain technology.

“Meta and Dfinity question to pull the aforesaid users, namely those who are looking for an innovative and antithetic net experience, created by users, for users,” said the lawsuit, adding: 

“Further, some Meta and Dfinity utilize the aforesaid selling channels specified that consumers volition apt brushwood the marks done those aforesaid channels [...] Despite cognition of Dfinity’s mark, Meta chose to proceed with its exertion to get registration successful immoderate of the aforesaid oregon akin areas successful which Dfinity has already obtained registration for its mark.”— Josh Gerben (@JoshGerben) May 2, 2022

Dfinity’s ineligible squad continued:

“The similarities betwixt Meta’s people and Dfinity’s mark, and Meta’s intended usage of its people successful the aforesaid abstraction and done the aforesaid lawsuit basal arsenic Dfinity, volition origin disorder due to the fact that consumers volition mistakenly judge that Meta and its services are connected with, sponsored by, affiliated with, oregon related to Dfinity, oregon that Dfinity and its services are connected with, sponsored by, affiliated with oregon related to Meta.”

According to Dfinity, Meta “knowingly infringed” upon the company's trademark based connected its registration with the USPTO and exhibited “willful and wanton disregard of Dfinity’s established and superior rights.” The lawyers claimed that disorder astir the akin logos had already caused Dfinity to suffer revenue, and the steadfast volition proceed to bash truthful arsenic good arsenic perchance endure “reputational harm” portion the alleged discrepancy remains.

“Dfinity has suffered, and volition proceed to suffer, irreparable wounded arsenic a effect of Meta’s unlawful enactment and has nary capable remedy astatine law,” said the lawsuit. “Unlike Facebook’s (now Meta) centralized, closed system, Dfinity’s absorption is connected decentralization and interoperability. Any relation betwixt Dfinity and Meta would origin consumers, including users and developers, to question Dfinity’s halfway mission.”

Dfinity’s ineligible squad has requested alleviation successful the signifier of attorneys’ fees based connected Meta’s alleged trademark infringement and “false designation of origin.” In addition, the steadfast asked for punitive damages surrounding the imaginable disorder “as to the source, origin, sponsorship, and association” of Meta’s products and services. The blockchain steadfast has requested a proceedings by jury.

Related: ‘Wave of litigation’ to deed NFT abstraction arsenic copyright issues abound

Legal issues related to copyrights and trademarks person cropped up successful the crypto abstraction since its instauration successful 2008. In June 2020, idiosyncratic anonymously registered the Bitcoin (BTC) sanction and logo with the Spanish Patent and Trademark Office claiming they wanted to “protect Bitcoin.” A ineligible squad representing accelerated nutrient concatenation Jack successful the Box besides filed a suit against FTX US successful November 2021 based connected alleged similarities betwixt its "Jack" quality and the crypto exchange’s "Moon Man."