Figma threatens companies using "Dev Mode"

❗Article Status Notice: This Article is a stub

---

This article is underdeveloped, and needs additional work to meet the wiki's Content Guidelines and be in line with our Mission Statement for comprehensive coverage of consumer protection issues. Learn more ▼

Issues may include:

• This article needs to be expanded to provide meaningful information
• This article requires additional verifiable evidence to demonstrate systemic impact
• More documentation is needed to establish how this reflects broader consumer protection concerns
• The connection between individual incidents and company-wide practices needs to be better established
• The article is simply too short, and lacks sufficient content

How you can help:

• Add documented examples with verifiable sources
• Provide evidence of similar incidents affecting other consumers
• Include relevant company policies or communications that demonstrate systemic practices
• Link to credible reporting that covers these issues
• Flesh out the article with relevant information

This notice will be removed once the article is sufficiently developed. Once you believe the article is ready to have its notice removed, visit the Discord (join here) and post to the #appeals channel, or mention its status on the article's talk page.

Figma has sent cease and desist letters to companies, including the Swedish AI startup Lovable, for using the term "Dev Mode," claiming it infringes on their trademark. This action has sparked controversy and criticism within the tech community, with many arguing that "Dev Mode" is a widely used and generic term in the industry.

Background

Companies

As to understand how does this companies use the term "Dev Mode", we have to further analyze what their products do.

Figma is a design platform, being widely used in software development.

Lovable is a no code app using a chat powered by the Claude LLM for the user to instert the prompts and having a website fully functional

Company	Dev Mode claim in their website
Figma	Dev Mode gives you the power to easily inspect designs and translate them into code—without changing the design file.
Lovable	you can now view the full code repository backing your Lovable project directly in the Lovable Editor.

• Historical Use: The term "Dev Mode" has been used in the tech industry since at least 2004, according to Google Trends data.
• Legal Precedents: While trademarking common terms is not unprecedented, the tech community is particularly sensitive to such actions, especially when they affect smaller companies and open-source projects.

[Incident]

Figma, a popular online design and collaboration tool, has recently taken legal action against several companies for using the term "Dev Mode." The company has trademarked this term and has been sending cease and desist letters to smaller startups, demanding they stop using it. This move has generated significant controversy and criticism within the tech community.

Theo - t3․gg's response

Theo begins by highlighting a letter from Figma's general counsel, demanding that companies cease using the 'Dev Mode' trademark. He expresses his astonishment and disapproval, referring to this as one of the most ridiculous things he's witnessed in the tech industry. Theo shares his insights into the implications of such protective actions for Figma's brand image and its place in the market.

In the middle section, Theo goes on to discuss Figma's attempts to expand beyond its design roots into the development sector, mentioning tools like 'Dev Mode'. Despite these efforts, Theo believes Figma is failing to capture the developer market as intended. He explores the impact of AI on the design process, noting that AI tools have substantially altered the need for traditional design software.

Towards the end, Theo delves into the significance of trademark protection and how it relates to Figma's aggressive stance. He draws parallels to past trademark disputes, such as those involving Microsoft and Oracle. Theo considers Figma's current legal approach as desperate and suggests it may backfire, especially with an IPO on the horizon and a rapidly changing industry.

Summary and key issues of prevailing sentiment from the consumers and commentators that can be documented via articles, emails to support, reviews and forum posts.

---

Add your text below this box. Once this section is complete, delete this box by clicking on it and pressing backspace.

References

Theo - t3․gg. “Figma threatens companies using "Dev Mode."” YouTube, 16 April 2025, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P73EGVfKNr0. Accessed 21 April 2025. Preservetube: https://preservetube.com/watch?v=P73EGVfKNr0