Meta given 30 days to cease using the name Threads by company that trademarked it 11 years ago::undefined

  • Thales@sh.itjust.works
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    1 year ago

    It appears that Meta was aware of Threads before launching its platform of the same name. Company lawyers made four offers to purchase the domain ‘threads.app’ from Threads Software Ltd from April 2023, all of which were declined. Meta announced Threads in July 2023, the same time that the British company says it was removed from Facebook.

    Classic Facebook douchebaggery.

  • MNByChoice@midwest.social
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    1 year ago

    It is too bad Meta couldn’t afford a lawyer to do a search for trademarks and copyrights. Really shame.

    • Resolute3542@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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      1 year ago

      Did you even read the article??

      It appears that Meta was aware of Threads before launching its platform of the same name. Company lawyers made four offers to purchase the domain ‘threads.app’ from Threads Software Ltd from April 2023, all of which were declined. Meta announced Threads in July 2023, the same time that the British company says it was removed from Facebook.

      They literally made an offer to buy the domain Threads.app 4 times and got rejected.

  • Octavio@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    Gosh if only Meta hd money for lawyers, they could squish this like a bug. Oh, yeah. They do have money for lawyers. Tons of it.

      • Octavio@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        I don’t know anything about UK law but in my observations, giant corporations with tons of cash and armies of lawyers solicitors do what they want. I could be wrong but it is just my cynical view, not legal advice.

      • Welt@lazysoci.al
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        1 year ago

        UK has a fairer legal system overall, but Meta will delay, delay, delay to avoid accountability and keep using the Threads name for the next umpteen years, and at some point the original owner of the trademark will settle for a nice payday (though nothing like what they’d win if they beat Meta’s team of lawyers… which won’t happen).

        • aidan@lemmy.world
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          1 year ago

          UK has a fairer legal system overall,

          What??? I suppose it depends on certain contexts, but I wouldn’t say overall. Super injuctions are a very obvious one. Also, just lack of constitutional protections.

    • TwilightVulpine@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      Depressing that people treat money winning over justice as a given. There is realism, and then there’s defeatism.

  • Treczoks@lemm.ee
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    1 year ago

    I don’t know which concerns me more: That Meta gets their asses kicked, or why the f-ck someone was able to trademark the word “Threads”.

  • MrFlamey@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    Well can’t they just call it Meta Threads or Threads by Meta if it isn’t already, and nothing has to change.

    • zaphod@feddit.de
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      1 year ago

      Not an expert on trademark law, but I think “Threads by Meta” would not work as the main part of that name would still be “Threads”, “Meta Threads” could work, but if they’d make the “Meta” part not prominent in the branding then again it would probably be considered as only “Threads”.

      • BigDanishGuy@sh.itjust.works
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        1 year ago

        Not an expert either, and I’m definitely not a lawyer. But I did take an elective class in uni on IPR.

        Generally you can have two types of trademarks. You can use graphics as your trademark or a word. And your trademark must be unique to be defendable.

        The word can’t be something that is already in use, if you want to register it as a wordmark. Ie you can’t register the word “beer” and market beer under that trademark. What you can register is alternative spelling or your logo.

        The word “threads” is a word that was used previously. It has a meaning already. So you can’t register it as a wordmark.

        This is one of the reasons why alphabet really hates that people use the word “google” as a verb, or LEGO that people call the bricks “legos”, as it diminishes the trademarkability of the word and thus makes defending the trademark harder.

        If both companies tries to claim the word “threads” they’ll have a pretty weak case. While I don’t know exactly what this is about, I suspect that the headline doesn’t give the full picture of the dispute.

          • BigDanishGuy@sh.itjust.works
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            1 year ago

            Why do you think that so many companies have ordinary sounding names with weird spelling? Sure, it communicates “We’re hip and creative”, but it’s definitely also a trademark thing.

    • reksas@lemmings.world
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      1 year ago

      That would be the sensible approach, but some executive is propably throwing tantrum because of their injured pride. I will be surprised if they just comply.

  • Deftdrummer@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    Fun fact: Google has to pay royalties to Windsor Castle since they had a Keep product first.

  • kingthrillgore@lemmy.ml
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    1 year ago

    Not to be confused with the movie of the same name that, unlike Meta’s service, made me a miserable drunk

    I’m sure Meta Legal knew and would deal with it when the time came.

    • Natanael@slrpnk.net
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      1 year ago

      Even the name Meta was trademarked by others and they paid a lot for the rights to use it

  • ᕙ(⇀‸↼‶)ᕗ@lemm.ee
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    1 year ago

    again? didnt they have to pay that woman who was regged as meta on insta aswell? like there is nothing at all original about marcs “ideas”.

  • nucawysi@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    I wonder if Posts is taken… lol Twitter switched to one letter. I kind of prefer the made up ethnically ambiguous names than the short ones.