I’m Confused

[LDAHL]

What is the metaverse, and why should I care about it? Why does it matter if Mark Zuckerberg changes his brand name? What are Facebook, Instagram, etc. anyway but means to facilitate gossip?

[Alan]

What is the metaverseMetaverse is a word coined by, described in great detail and then stolen from author Neal Stephenson in his cyberpunk novel Snow Crash in 1992. Being a big Stephenson fan I'm a bit annoyed by young upstart Zuckerberg attempting to capitalize on other peoples work.

[iris lilies]

I saw that and I’m not sure why I’m supposed to give a crap why Zuck is changing his company name.

[catherine]

What does Zuckerberg think the brand name change will accomplish? Absolution from all the recent criticism of social media? Distraction from the downsides of social media? Is the new brand actually representing anything new under the hood in terms of the culture-bending algorithms?

[Tybee]

I think he's trying to announce that he has won, that he has subverted normal communication completely, that we now have to bow to his will, and that of Gates et al just to be alive in survive in this world.

Ditch the silly little college name, you've arrived, you've conquered the world--and space, as well!

[LDAHL]

Metaverse is a word coined by, described in great detail and then stolen from author Neal Stephenson in his cyberpunk novel Snow Crash in 1992. Being a big Stephenson fan I'm a bit annoyed by young upstart Zuckerberg attempting to capitalize on other peoples work.

Well, I did like the Baroque Cycle, but I wouldn’t name a spin class or bike shop after it. You would never see this sort of portentousness from a Big Ten dropout.

[jp1]

Metaverse is a word coined by, described in great detail and then stolen from author Neal Stephenson in his cyberpunk novel Snow Crash in 1992. Being a big Stephenson fan I'm a bit annoyed by young upstart Zuckerberg attempting to capitalize on other peoples work.

Apparently he likes other people's logos too.

4058

[JaneV2.0]

Shades of Blackwater; no company was more aptly named.

[ApatheticNoMore]

Maybe because of investigations or because facebook is not cool, it's passe. It's a wonder it's ever been anything but - the interface has always been bad (though it's been years since I've been on facebook, so maybe it's enough to say it was really bad in it's peak). That's kind of true of Amazon too, but they had more going for them than a webpage.

[iris lilies]

Apparently he likes other people's logos too.

4058
That is hilarious!

[LDAHL]

Is there a tangible or virtual thing that goes by the name of metaverse, or is it just a predicted future mode for posting selfies, playing games or arguing about politics? And does it require a philosopher-king to rule it and collect ad revenue?

[jp1]

And if this is honest apparently he also doesn't respect other people/company's IP more generally.

https://meta.company/


Facebook Stole Our Name and Livelihood

Hello, World!

We are Meta Company.

Original Flavor. 😊

For the last three months, Facebook lawyers have been hounding us to sell our name to them. We refused their offer on multiple bases. Namely, the low offer wouldn’t cover the costs of changing our name, and we insisted on knowing the client and intent, which they did not want to disclose.

At least two law firms were involved: One in the USA that requested our trademark and domains (Kilpatrick, Townsend & Stockton), and the other in Europe aggressively contacting trying to get us to sell our domain registrations (Hogan Lovells).

On October 20th, 2021, during a phone call with Facebook attorneys, we declined their low offer and maintained our requirements. At this point, we presumed it was Facebook and identified them on the call. The attorney representing Facebook declared they would respect our existing right and registration.

On October 28th, 2021, Facebook decided to commit trademark infringement and call themselves “Meta”.

They couldn’t buy us, so they tried to bury us by force of media. We shouldn't be surprised by these actions — from a company that continually says one thing and does another. Facebook and its operating officers are deceitful and acting in bad faith, not only towards us, but to all of humanity.

It's unfortunate to have been associated with a company so rooted in controversy and fixated on domination. We aim to be distinguished from Facebook's totalitarian view of the future. We hope the negative association with Facebook and its founder will be forgotten — but we won't ignore the damages done.

We have proceeded to file the necessary legal actions. This message may be regarded as a public cease and desist. We welcome your support.

One more thing: Our new product launch just got delayed because of Facebook. We must deal with these matters. In the coming weeks, we will make an announcement earlier than we expected. We promise it will be good. Stay tuned.



Thank You.

Sincerely,
Nate Skulic
Founder, MetaCompany