A Metaowner of Facebook, having to comply with new conditions in Brazil. In a judgment last Wednesday (28), the São Paulo Court of Justice unanimously determined that Facebook should stop using the Meta brand in Brazil and inform its Brazilian communication channels that the name belongs to a company Brazilian company with no connection to the group led by Mark Zuckerberg.
The Brazilian company, founded in 1990, is a digital transformation consultancy. She has had Meta as her trademark since 2008.
“In 2021, ‘Brazilian Meta’ was surprised by the adoption of the name Meta by the Facebook Group, with indiscriminate use in Brazil without any registration for such, generating confusion, losses and unprecedented demands for the company that owns the brand in different spheres, such as legal, administrative, technological and reputational, which were worsened over time”, wrote the consultancy in a note.
According to Meta, there are already 143 legal proceedings in which the Brazilian company is mistakenly listed as the defendant, as they should have been destined for the United States. In recent months, 49 hearings have been designated in processes related to Facebook, in which Meta has or will have to be present.
She has also received several extrajudicial notifications about problems related to Facebook, Instagram or WhatsApp, such as requests to breach confidentiality and block accounts on social networks. Furthermore, the official channels of the Brazilian Meta have received hateful messages. Review portals, such as Glassdoor and Reclame Aqui, are also mistakenly receiving complaints about the owner of Facebook, which has been disrupting the Brazilian woman’s recruitment and selection processes.
Finished
In the trial, the judges highlighted that Meta’s registration in Brazil has existed for more than a quarter of a century and warned that foreign companies also need to follow Brazilian legislation if they want to operate in the country.
According to the judges, the confusing scenario not only affects consumers, but also public bodies, such as Procons, police stations and even the Judiciary. Therefore, it was decided that whoever first filed the trademark registration should prevail with the exclusive right. The American company has 30 days to comply with the court order.
*With information from Exame/ Cover photo: Shutterstock
Follow Adnews on Instagrame LinkedIn. #WhereTransformationHappens
