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Scottsdale startup wants $20 million to turn over 'Meta' trademark to Facebook parent company

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Posted at 11:28 AM, Nov 08, 2021
and last updated 2021-11-08 13:28:45-05

PHOENIX — Late last month, Mark Zuckerburg announced that Facebook’s parent company would change its name from Facebook Inc. to Meta Platforms Inc. and would do business simply as Meta.

But a Scottsdale company had filed for the ‘Meta’ trademark months before the announcement and now Meta PC wants $20 million to turn over the name. The $20 million offer to sell was originally reported by TMZ.

Meta PC, which makes custom computer hardware, filed for the Meta trademark on Aug. 23, according to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, while Facebook filed its application on Oct. 28. Scottsdale’s Meta does not actually own the trademark yet, but they did file for it first. The trademark approval process can take between nine and 18 months.

Meta PC’s limited liability company was filed with the Arizona Corporation Commission in November 2020, which is also when the company said it first started using the Meta trademark in its USPTO application.

Read more of this story from the Business Journal.