Instagram tells Littergram app to change its name
LONDON -- The owner of a British app has been ordered to change the name of his creation by Instagram.
Danny Lucas, who developed an app called Littergram as an easy way for people to share photos of rubbish and report incidents to their local council, was told by lawyers for Instagram his name was "not acceptable," the BBC reports.
The photo-sharing company, which is owned by Facebook, has reportedly given him three to six months to phase out the name.
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Lawyers said that Instagram recognised the app's social efforts but insisted that the brand "utilises and relies on social media usage" which meant they couldn't allow it to be used "in relation to services which are core to its world renowned activities in this area."
Providing background context to Mashable, Facebook said the motivation behind the app was admirable and that they've engaged in conversations for several months to try and reach an agreement that doesn't involve the courts. They haven't filed a lawsuit, they said.
Lucas has hit back. In a YouTube clip posted this week he said he'd received a "heavy handed letter" and issued a personal request to Mark Zuckerberg to intervene.
"Littergram has the potential to improve lives, save money and create a brand new way of dealing with an epidemic that is destroying our society, not just here in the UK but globally," he said.
The company also attempted to kick start a #savelittergram hashtag to raise awareness of the dispute.
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Lucas told Mashable he hasn't got the funds to fight the issue legally and said he hoped the video message would strike a chord with Zuckerberg. "He’s into good causes; he understands doing good," he said.
The name is vital to the app's success, he insisted. The project has made litter awareness "a bit cooler than Keep Britain Tidy," he insisted. "It's about an app, getting kids involved, and providing data mapping for the authorities."
While he's received a number of suggestions for new names, he doesn't want to start from scratch. "It's like The Artist Formerly Known As Prince," he said. "I don't want to be formerly known as Littergram."
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Tim Chester was Senior Editor, Real Time News in Los Angeles. Before that he was Deputy Editor of Mashable UK in London. Prior to joining Mashable, Tim was a Senior Web Editor at Penguin Random House, helping to relaunch the Rough Guides website and other travel brands. He was also a writer for Buzzfeed, GQ and The Sunday Times, covering everything from culture to tech and current affairs. Before that, he was Deputy Editor at NME.COM, overseeing content and development on the London-based music and entertainment site. Tim loves music and travel and has combined these two passions at festivals from Iceland to Malawi and beyond.
