A: Is it illegal for our competitors to use our META Tags?

What you've described falls under a relatively new area of the law. What your competitor is doing may or may not be deemed "illegal", depending, amongst other things, on whether the content of your META Tags contains registered trademarks.

Even if it does and you decide to sue for copyright or trademark infringement, your competitor may still win the case, depending on whether they can prove they have a right to use those terms or that they weren't being used in a deliberately deceptive manner. More information on U.S. based META Tag lawsuits and their outcomes can be found here.

I would urge you to seek legal advice on this issue and in the meantime, perhaps have your lawyer send your competitor a "cease and desist" letter explaining your objection to their use of your copied code and brand name.

Best of luck!