An update on the Tonitunes trademark battle, and a message for every small business owner.
When I first shared my story about the fight to reclaim @tonitunes, I told you where the name came from. That it wasn’t just a handle, it was a nickname from my husband, a part of my marriage, and the name I’ve built a business under since the earliest days of the internet.
Now it’s time for an update. Because today, the deadline I gave Meta has officially passed. And silence speaks volumes.
🔁 What Meta Did (or Didn’t Do)
After filing my trademark claim through Meta’s Intellectual Property portal – not once, but four separate times – I found myself trapped in a system designed to wear people down. Here’s what really happened:
The first submission was dismissed outright. Meta claimed I hadn’t proven ownership, even though I had filed a federally recognized trademark.
The second time, they finally acted and removed the impersonating account, but only after I warned them that I was prepared to involve my attorney if they knowingly allowed an unauthorized party to squat on a trademarked name.
But then, instead of returning the handle to me, they locked it, and when I tried to follow up…
The third and fourth submissions were instantly closed with the same dismissive reply:
“We already removed the violating account. This case is closed.”
Each time, there was no option to reply, no way to clarify, no human review, just a revolving door of closed cases and pre-written messages, ignoring the core issue: the handle was still unavailable, and I still couldn’t use my own protected name.
Their system wasn’t just broken. It was weaponized passivity, pretending the issue was solved while sidestepping accountability.
🕒 The Deadline Came. The Deadline Went
It’s now October 6. Meta didn’t respond.
No email. No letter. No action.
The handle remains locked, not in use, not reassigned, just held in limbo, blocking me from using my own protected name.
This morning, I escalated. I’ve now filed a formal complaint with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and asked for guidance under the Lanham Act, which protects trademark holders from obstruction and unfair use.
💥 But This Isn’t Just About Me
Let me be clear:
This isn’t about vanity.
It’s not about likes, followers, or ego.
It’s about every small business owner who’s been told they’re too small to matter.
It’s about systems that let billion-dollar platforms steamroll over the very people they profit from. and expect us to stay quiet, give up, or just make a new name.
Not this time.
📣 A Message to Small Business Owners Everywhere
If you’ve ever had your work stolen, your account hacked, your brand dismissed because you’re “not big enough,” I see you.
And here’s what I want you to know:
You have rights.
You have a voice.
And you are not alone.
We may be small, but we are mighty.
We are families and dreamers and builders and artists.
We are LLCs and storefronts and vintage curators and crystal slingers.
And we do not have to bow to broken systems.
💡 The Legacy is the Point
Tonitunes isn’t just a name.
It’s my story.
It’s my marriage.
It’s my music.
It’s every package I’ve wrapped, every listing I’ve written, every photo I’ve styled.
It is earned. And I will not let it be buried by neglect, bureaucracy, or platform policies that ignore their own rules.
🖖 The Fight Continues — and So Does the Hope
As of today, I’ve taken the next step – filing with the USPTO and placing my faith in the law that protects makers like me.
If you’re reading this and you’ve been sitting on the fence, wondering whether your fight is worth it… let this be your answer:
Yes. It is.
You don’t have to be a corporation to deserve protection.
You don’t have to be verified to be valid.
You don’t have to go viral to be valuable.
You just have to stand your ground.
We are small, but we are many.
We are quiet, but we are strong.
And we are not invisible.
With love and grit and no white flags,
Tonya (Tonitunes)