copyright trademark name trade-name
Am I allowed to use the word &quot;meta&quot; in the name of my product or startup?
<p>I am programming an app and want to call it &quot;metaApp&quot;. Am I getting sued soon by Meta a.k.a. Facebook? Or is the word &quot;meta&quot; a commonly used word and ok? (In the case of Apple, it is also not allowed...)</p>
<p>So can I use the word &quot;meta&quot; for my branding? MetaSoft, MetaHuman, MetaBeta?</p>

<p>If you do, you will probably be faced with a lawsuit. If the program did something that they don't do, it might be okay (but hire a lawyer to be sure). Perhaps a plumbing app would be safe.
They (Meta) do <a href="https://about.meta.com/brand/resources/meta/our-trademarks" rel="noreferrer">state</a> that Meta is one of their trademarks, and you can verify that <a href="https://tmsearch.uspto.gov/bin/showfield?f=toc&amp;state=4810%3Ahmgnmj.1.1&amp;p_search=searchss&amp;p_L=50&amp;BackReference=&amp;p_plural=yes&amp;p_s_PARA1=&amp;p_tagrepl%7E%3A=PARA1%24LD&amp;expr=PARA1%20AND%20PARA2&amp;p_s_PARA2=meta&amp;p_tagrepl%7E%3A=PARA2%24COMB&amp;p_op_ALL=AND&amp;a_default=search&amp;a_search=Submit%20Query&amp;a_search=Submit%20Query" rel="noreferrer">here</a>. That means that they have the exclusive right to use the mark &quot;Meta&quot; in the particular spheres where they operate, namely</p>
<blockquote>
<p>G &amp; S: Identification verification services; Online social networking
services; Personal concierge services for others comprising making
requested personal arrangements and reservations and providing
customer-specific information to meet individual needs; Providing
access to computer databases and online searchable databases in the
fields of social networking; Social introduction and networking
services; Social networking services related to sports, fitness, and
coaching activities provided through a community website online and
other computer and electronic communication networks; User
verification services; Social introduction, networking and dating
services</p>
</blockquote>
<p>as well as</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Computer hardware; Application programming interface (API) for
software which facilitates online services for data retrieval, upload,
download, access and management; Computer peripheral devices; Virtual,
augmented, and mixed reality software for use in enabling computers,
mobile devices, to provide virtual reality experiences; Software for
integrating electronic data with real world environments for the
purposes of entertainment, education, communicating; Virtual reality
computer hardware; Virtual reality software for use in enabling
computers, mobile devices, to provide virtual reality experiences;
Motion tracking sensors for virtual reality technology; Motion
tracking sensors for augmented reality technology; Digital media
streaming devices; Wearable computing devices comprised primarily of
software and display screens for connection to computers, mobile
devices, and in order to enable virtual reality and augmented reality
world experiences; Software for tracking motion in, visualizing,
manipulating, viewing, and displaying augmented and virtual reality
experiences; Software, firmware and hardware for use in visual, voice,
audio, motion, eye and gesture tracking and recognition; Hardware and
software for operating sensor devices; Electronic sensor devices,
cameras, projectors, and microphones for gesture, facial, and voice
detection, capture and recognition; Hardware and software for
detecting objects, user gestures and commands; Wireless computer
peripherals; Computer software for modifying photographs, images and
audio, video, and audio-visual content with photographic filters and
augmented reality (AR) effects, namely, graphics, animations, text,
drawings, geotags, metadata tags, hyperlinks; Computer software,
downloadable computer software and mobile application software for
facilitating interaction and communication between humans and AI
(artificial intelligence) platforms, namely, bots, virtual agents and
virtual assistants; Application programming interface (API) software
for allowing data retrieval, upload, access and management; Software
for organizing images, video, and audio-visual content using metadata
tags; Application programming interface (API) for use in developing AI
(artificial intelligence) platforms, namely, bots, virtual agents and
virtual assistants; Computer software for sending and receiving
electronic messages, graphics, images, audio and audio visual content
via the internet and communication networks; Downloadable software,
namely, instant messaging software, file sharing software,
communications software for electronically exchanging data, audio,
video images and graphics via computer, mobile, wireless, and
communication networks; Computer software for personal information
management, and data synchronization software; Computer software for
use in facilitating voice over internet protocol (VOIP) calls, phone
calls, video calls, text messages, instant message; Communication
software and communication computer hardware for providing access to
the Internet; Electronic display screens; Computer peripherals for
remotely accessing and transmitting data; Computer hardware for
displaying data and video; Computer peripherals for displaying data
and video; Software to view virtual images in creating augmented
reality; Computer software for setting up, configuring, operating and
controlling wearable devices, computers, and computer peripherals;
Computer software for accessing, monitoring, searching, displaying,
reading, recommending, sharing, organizing, and annotating news,
sports, weather, commentary, and other information, content from
periodicals, blogs, and websites, and other text, data, graphics,
images, audio, video, and multimedia content; Computer software for
accessing, browsing and searching online databases; Computer software
for accessing, monitoring, searching, displaying, reading,
recommending, sharing, organizing, and annotating news, sports,
weather, commentary, and other information, content from periodicals,
blogs, and websites, and other text, data, graphics, images, audio,
video, and multimedia content; Computer software for controlling the
operation of audio and video devices; Computer software for creating,
editing, uploading, downloading, accessing, viewing, posting,
displaying, tagging, blogging, streaming, linking, annotating,
indicating sentiment about, commenting on, embedding, transmitting,
and sharing or otherwise providing electronic media or information via
computer the internet and communication networks; Computer software
for integrating electronic data with real world environments for the
purposes of entertainment, communicating, and social networking;
Computer software for modifying and enabling transmission of images,
audio, audio visual and video content and data; Computer software for
modifying photographs, images and audio, video, and audio-visual
content with photographic filters and virtual reality, mixed reality
and augmented reality effects, namely, graphics, animations, text,
drawings, geotags, metadata tags, hyperlinks; Computer software for
processing images, graphics, audio, video, and text; Computer software
for sending and receiving electronic messages, graphics, images, audio
and audio visual content via computer the internet and communication
networks; Computer software for sending and receiving electronic
messages, alerts, notifications and reminders; Computer software for
social networking and interacting with online communities; Computer
software for the collection, managing, editing, organizing, modifying,
transmission, sharing, and storage of data and information; Computer
software for the redirection of messages, Internet e-mail, and/or
other data to one or more electronic wearable wireless communication
devices from a data store on or associated with a personal computer or
a server; Computer software for wireless content, data and information
delivery; Computer software to enable accessing, displaying, editing,
linking, sharing and otherwise providing electronic media and
information via the internet and communications networks; Computer
software to enable development, assessment, testing, and maintenance
of mobile software applications for portable electronic communication
devices, namely, mobile phones, smartphones, handheld computers and
computer tablets; Computer software to enhance the audio-visual
capabilities of multimedia applications, namely, for the
three-dimensional rendering of graphics, still images and moving
pictures provided as updates for or in combination with head-mounted
display screen devices; Computer software, downloadable computer
software and mobile application software for creating, managing and
accessing groups within virtual communities; Computer software,
namely, an application providing social networking functionalities;
Computer software, namely, an interpretive interface for facilitating
interaction between humans and machines; Downloadable computer
software for finding content and content publishers, and for
subscribing to content; Downloadable computer software for viewing and
interacting with a feed of images, audio, audio-visual and video
content and associated text and data; Gesture recognition software;
Software for detecting objects, user gestures and commands; Software
for operating sensor devices; Software to view virtual images in
creating virtual, augmented and mixed reality; Interactive
entertainment software; Location-aware computer software, downloadable
computer software and mobile application software for searching,
determining and sharing locations; Messaging software; Mixed reality
software; Mixed reality software for interactive entertainment; Mixed
reality software for navigating a mixed reality environment; Mixed
reality software for object tracking, motion control and content
visualization; Social assistant software; Software and firmware for
enabling electronic devices to share data and communicate with each
other; Software development tools; Software driver programs for
electronic devices for enabling computer hardware and electronic
devices to communicate with each other; Software for advertisers to
communicate and interact with online communities; Software for alerts,
messages, emails, and reminders, and for recording, organizing,
transmitting, manipulating, reviewing, and receiving text, data,
audio, image and digital files and display screens; Software for
creating and managing social media profiles and user accounts;
Software for creating, editing, uploading, downloading, accessing,
viewing, posting, displaying, tagging, blogging, streaming, linking,
annotating, indicating sentiment about, commenting on, embedding,
transmitting, and sharing or otherwise providing electronic media or
information via computer and communication networks; Software for
creating, managing and accessing groups within virtual communities;
Software for creating, managing, and interacting with an online
community; Software for integrating electronic data with real world
environments for the purposes of entertainment, education,
communicating, and social networking; Software for modifying and
enabling transmission of images, audio, audio visual and video content
and data; Software for processing images, graphics, audio, video, and
text; Software for social networking; Software for streaming
multimedia entertainment content; Software and firmware for use in
visual, voice, audio, motion, eye and gesture tracking and
recognition; Software, namely, an interpretive interface for
facilitating interaction between humans and machines; Video display
software; Computer software, firmware and hardware for use in visual,
voice, audio, motion, eye and gesture tracking and recognition;
Computer hardware and software for operating sensor devices; Computer
hardware and software for detecting objects, user gestures and
commands; Computer software driver programs for electronic devices for
enabling computer hardware and electronic devices to communicate with
each other; Cameras; Wireless computer peripherals; Video receivers;
Sensors for monitoring physical movements</p>
</blockquote>
<p>and dozens of other also-registered areas.</p>

<p>What makes you think it’s either “will I be sued” <em>or</em> “is this a common word”?</p>
<p>First, you can be sued at any time by a large company if you do something they don’t like. Whether they are right or wrong. And even if you win, it will cost you time and money.</p>
<p>Second, it is Meta’s company name so it’s 99.9999% trademarked in the “software” department so there is a good chance that they are in the right.</p>
<p>Personally, it’s not a name I would pick and not a fight I would pick.</p>
