Meta could be forced to change the name of its social network Threads, in the event of a lawsuit in the United Kingdom by a company that accuses it of using that trademark illegally. According to a report by Business Insider, lawyers for the British firm Threads Software Limited have already contacted the U.S. technology company to stop using the name.
A new David and Goliath: Will Threads change its name?
In an instance prior to a court order, the aforementioned company has demanded Meta to stop using the name Threads, arguing that they are the owners of the trademark. According to reports, it has given the U.S. company 30 days.
The UK firm registered the Threads trademark in 2012 for its messaging service, which brings together tweets, emails and voice calls. For its part, Mark Zuckerberg’s company launched the social network with the same name in the middle of the current year, in an attempt to compete head-to-head with Twitter in the microblogging arena.
In a statement, the eventual plaintiff pointed out that in the past they rejected four offers from Meta, which tried to buy the threads.app domain. They further noted that when the new X-competing app was launched, Threads Software Limited’s profiles were removed from Facebook.
“We face a serious threat from one of the world’s largest technology companies,” said John Yardley, CEO of the UK group. “This is a David and Goliath style battle. While they think they can use whatever name they want, that doesn’t give them the right to use the Threads brand,” he added.
