It seems a new argument between tech companies is starting. Figma has officially told Lovable, an AI company, to stop certain actions.

The letter asks Lovable to stop using the name "Dev Mode" for a new product feature. Figma also has a feature called Dev Mode, and they officially registered that name last year.

It's interesting that "dev mode" is a common name for a setting in many products made for software programmers. It's like an edit mode. Big companies like Apple, Google, and Microsoft have features officially called "developer mode," which people often call "dev mode" in documents and guides.

The term "dev mode" is often used. For example, Atlassian used it in their products many years before Figma. It is also a common name for features in many free and open source software projects.

Figma told TechCrunch that their trademark is only for the short name "Dev Mode," not the full phrase "developer mode." They said it's like trademarking the word "bug" when you mean "debugging."

Figma has to send letters telling people to stop using the term because they want to keep it as their own. If they don't protect the word, it could become a common word, and their trademark might not be valid anymore.

Some people online think this word is too common and shouldn't have been trademarked. They also say Lovable should fight against it.

Anton Osika, who started Lovable and is the CEO, told TechCrunch that his company will not do what Figma wants and change the name of the feature.

We will see if Figma takes more serious action. It is also thinking about other things. On Tuesday, Figma said it had secretly applied to offer shares to the public. However, if Figma decides to start a legal fight, an international legal battle could be expensive for the young Swedish company, Lovable. It received $15 million in funding in February.

What's also interesting is that Lovable is becoming known for something called "vibe coding." This is when users type what they want, and the product makes it, including the code. A feature called "dev mode" was added recently, which lets users change the code.

Lovable says it's a competitor to Figma. On its website, it says designers can use Lovable "without slow prototyping work in programs like Figma." Many new companies are now doing this.

So this is not only a fight about a name, but also a bigger company getting ready to compete with a small, new rival. Around a year ago, Figma was thought to be worth $12.5 billion.

Someone from Figma seemed to agree. They told TechCrunch that they haven't sent legal letters to companies like Microsoft because their products are in a different group.

Lovable's Osika is ready to compete. He thinks Figma should focus on improving their product, not on trademark marketing. He also says Lovable is successfully getting customers from Figma and other design tools made before large language models.

When asked about the danger of products that try to understand and influence feelings, Figma CEO Dylan Field quickly dismissed the idea in a talk last month with Garry Tan from Y Combinator.

Field said that people like vibe coding because it's fast. However, he added that people need help to finish their projects, not just start them quickly. He thinks this problem is true for both design and coding.

Osika also seems ready to compete. He showed this by using a grinning emoji when he posted Figma's letter on X.