Developer Sues Google, Meta Over Enforcement of Reels Trademarks

Meta Platforms Inc. abused Google LLC’s intellectual property takedown system to remove a third-party video editing app erroneously accused by the social media giant of infringing its “reels” trademarks, according to a new federal lawsuit.

Sarafan Mobile Ltd.'s “Reely” app icon didn’t infringe Meta’s trademarks, and Google aided and abetted Meta’s misuse of IP rights to shut down the independent developer, Sarafan said Tuesday in a complaint filed in the US District Court for the Northern District of California.

Reely provided users with templates, filters, and effects to create “engaging and stylish” reels for social media, according to the complaint. ...