6 ms·

The "X" trademark owned by Meta belongs to Mixer, a game streaming site formerly run by Microsoft, which was shut down in 2017, but its operations were taken ov

The "X" trademark owned by Meta belongs to Mixer, a game streaming site formerly run by Microsoft, which was shut down in 2017, but its operations were taken over by Facebook Gaming. The "X" trademark of Mixer was also given to Meta at that time. https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=87980831&caseType=SERIAL_NO&searchType=statusSearch https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=87980831&caseType=SERIAL_... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mixer_(service) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mixer_(service)

stingraycharles 3y ago
Isn’t it only the logo that’s trademarked, rather than the name “X”? I am not an expert on trademarks by all means, how likely is it that Meta would actually have a case here?
- deleted 3y ago
  [deleted]
- turtledragonfly 3y ago
  This is correct. I'm not a trademark lawyer, though I have filed some. There are two main types: a "standard character mark" (which is text) and the rest, which are visual logo designs. This one is the latter. That is, they're not trademarking the text "X", just that particular visual representation — the colors involved, etc. You can tell in the TEAS system by looking in the "Mark Information" section, and the "Standard Character Claim: No" line.
  - stingraycharles 3y ago
    Right, and the two X logos (the one from Meta and the one from Twitter) are visually very different I’d say. But of course, I’m not a lawyer.
  - psychphysic 3y ago
    You already said you're not a trademark lawyer. But could you even get a trademark for X, a single character?
    - deleted 3y ago
      [deleted]
    - bdowling 3y ago
      > But could you even get a trademark for X, a single character? Yes. In fact there are at least a few registrations in the TESS database of X for various goods and services. They don’t conflict with each other unless the goods and services are the same.
      - rvnx 3y ago
        Yes, just bring money and lawyers, and you have it. The same with patents.
        CyberDildonics 3y ago
        Yes, that's obviously not true here, since both companies have money and lawyers, but one side has to lose if they go to court.
    - vimda 3y ago
      Yes. Microsoft has a character mark for "X", as mentioned in the article (https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=76041368&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=76041368&caseSearchType=U...). The reason that's allowed is because it's _narrowly tailored_: > Providing on-line chat rooms for transmission of messages among computer users concerning video and computer games; providing on-line electronic bulletin boards for transmission of messages among computer users concerning video and computer games > Entertainment services, namely, providing interactive multiplayer game services for games played over computer networks and global communications networks; providing computer games and video games downloadable over computer global communications networks; providing information on the video game and computer game industries via the Internet; and providing information on computer games, video games, video game consoles and accessories therefor via the Internet So for _those narrow usecases_, Microsoft can (in theory) enforce a trademark over the character "X". Any attempt to use that trademark here would be tossed immediately IMO.
  - AceyMan 3y ago
    >That is, they're not trademarking the text "X", just that particular visual representation — the colors involved, etc. However, the 'X' they chose is "just" a single UTF8 character, which would then make it classed as a _standard character mark_. Hmmm.
    - deleted 3y ago
      [deleted]
    - turtledragonfly 3y ago
      No, I don't believe so in this case. Though I agree the USPTO page can be confusing (: The Meta trademark is for this design: https://tsdr.uspto.gov/img/87980831/large?1690302463976 https://tsdr.uspto.gov/img/87980831/large?1690302463976 It's true that they use the text "X" in the (textual) description of the trademark, but that is not what's being trademarked. See the "Mark Information" drop-down on the page[1], for more detail. [1] https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=87980831&caseType=SERIAL_NO&searchType=statusSearch https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=87980831&caseType=SERIAL_...
255 3y ago
Had a small existential crisis reading this - Mixer was birthed (rebranded) in 2017 and closed down in 2020.
tim333 3y ago
Apparently several hundred trademarks reference 'X'. I see lawsuits ahead.
- kvetching 3y ago
  Why would he care about that?
  - freejazz 3y ago
    Because he can lose the right to use 'X' in trade
smileysteve 3y ago
I would also think Apple owns X with OS X and the iPhone X. Microsoft own Xbox's logo, with the console, store, game pass
dgellow 3y ago
Mixer has been shut down in 2020.

stingraycharles 3y ago

Isn’t it only the logo that’s trademarked, rather than the name “X”? I am not an expert on trademarks by all means, how likely is it that Meta would actually have a case here?

deleted 3y ago
[deleted]
turtledragonfly 3y ago
This is correct. I'm not a trademark lawyer, though I have filed some. There are two main types: a "standard character mark" (which is text) and the rest, which are visual logo designs. This one is the latter. That is, they're not trademarking the text "X", just that particular visual representation — the colors involved, etc. You can tell in the TEAS system by looking in the "Mark Information" section, and the "Standard Character Claim: No" line.
- stingraycharles 3y ago
  Right, and the two X logos (the one from Meta and the one from Twitter) are visually very different I’d say. But of course, I’m not a lawyer.
- psychphysic 3y ago
  You already said you're not a trademark lawyer. But could you even get a trademark for X, a single character?
  - deleted 3y ago
    [deleted]
  - bdowling 3y ago
    > But could you even get a trademark for X, a single character? Yes. In fact there are at least a few registrations in the TESS database of X for various goods and services. They don’t conflict with each other unless the goods and services are the same.
    - rvnx 3y ago
      Yes, just bring money and lawyers, and you have it. The same with patents.
      - CyberDildonics 3y ago
        Yes, that's obviously not true here, since both companies have money and lawyers, but one side has to lose if they go to court.
  - vimda 3y ago
    Yes. Microsoft has a character mark for "X", as mentioned in the article (https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=76041368&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=76041368&caseSearchType=U...). The reason that's allowed is because it's _narrowly tailored_: > Providing on-line chat rooms for transmission of messages among computer users concerning video and computer games; providing on-line electronic bulletin boards for transmission of messages among computer users concerning video and computer games > Entertainment services, namely, providing interactive multiplayer game services for games played over computer networks and global communications networks; providing computer games and video games downloadable over computer global communications networks; providing information on the video game and computer game industries via the Internet; and providing information on computer games, video games, video game consoles and accessories therefor via the Internet So for _those narrow usecases_, Microsoft can (in theory) enforce a trademark over the character "X". Any attempt to use that trademark here would be tossed immediately IMO.
- AceyMan 3y ago
  >That is, they're not trademarking the text "X", just that particular visual representation — the colors involved, etc. However, the 'X' they chose is "just" a single UTF8 character, which would then make it classed as a _standard character mark_. Hmmm.
  - deleted 3y ago
    [deleted]
  - turtledragonfly 3y ago
    No, I don't believe so in this case. Though I agree the USPTO page can be confusing (: The Meta trademark is for this design: https://tsdr.uspto.gov/img/87980831/large?1690302463976 https://tsdr.uspto.gov/img/87980831/large?1690302463976 It's true that they use the text "X" in the (textual) description of the trademark, but that is not what's being trademarked. See the "Mark Information" drop-down on the page[1], for more detail. [1] https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=87980831&caseType=SERIAL_NO&searchType=statusSearch https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=87980831&caseType=SERIAL_...

255 3y ago

Had a small existential crisis reading this - Mixer was birthed (rebranded) in 2017 and closed down in 2020.

tim333 3y ago

Apparently several hundred trademarks reference 'X'. I see lawsuits ahead.

kvetching 3y ago
Why would he care about that?
- freejazz 3y ago
  Because he can lose the right to use 'X' in trade

smileysteve 3y ago

I would also think Apple owns X with OS X and the iPhone X. Microsoft own Xbox's logo, with the console, store, game pass

dgellow 3y ago

Mixer has been shut down in 2020.