Instagram wants to drag and drop Littergram into the trash.
The Facebook-owned company is asking the owners of Littergram, a small British app that lets people trash-shame their neighbors, to throw out its name because the similarities to its branding and user interface.
Littergram creator Danny Lucas told the BBC that Instagram’s lawyers told him his app’s name is “not acceptable” because it’s also based on social media and shares photos so it could not be used “in relation to services which are core to its world renowned activities in this area.” Instagram is giving him six months to dump the name.
Lucas is taking his argument with the Facebook-owned company to YouTube. In a professionally shot video posted yesterday, he defended Littergram’s mission because it’s helping his cause clean up Great Britain.
“Facebook’s unreasonable demand that we rebrand will kill our momentum and put us back to square one,” he said.
Instagram didn’t immediately reply to Digiday’s request for comment.
The notion that Facebook is bullying is a small, not-for-profit app isn’t lost on the video’s commenters. Many of them spouted off on Lucas’ side. “How ridiculous,” a person replied. “I don’t suppose the weights and measures people sued, when Instagram first appeared!”
More in Marketing
How brands like Coach are tackling the metaverse opportunity: Is This The Metaverse? Podcast, episode 4
In episode four of the “Is This The Metaverse?” narrative podcast, Glossy international fashion reporter Zofia Zwiegliska spotlights the brand opportunity when it comes to fashion in the metaverse.
Marketing Briefing: As influencer marketing grows up, vetting gets more serious for creator partnerships
Overall there’s more due diligence from marketers when it comes to influencer marketing efforts now, according to marketers and agency execs, who say that there’s been more rigor over the last year, and especially over the last six months.
How the NFL’s LA Rams advertises to in-stadium fans with Snapchat’s AR technology
The collaboration between the Los Angeles Rams and Snapchat goes back to 2020 as the Rams made became the first NFL team to conceive a Snapchat AR experience, affording fans the opportunity to virtually wear the team’s recently unveiled uniform.