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| Hearsay: |
Facebook is suing a social networking site for teachers called “Teachbook“, which was apparently graphically designed by first grade students. FB seems to believe it owns the term “book” in relation to social networking.
Facebook’s lawsuit Wednesday seeks unspecified damages and demands a judge order Teachbook, of Northbrook, Illinois, to immediately cease using “book” in its name.
This begs the obvious question: Would Facebook sue a social-networking site for priests named Goodbook? Or a librarian-networking site named Librarybook?
Barry Schnitt, a Facebook spokesman, pointed out that “we have no complaint against Kelly Blue Book or Green Apple Books or others.”
“However, there is already a well known online network of people with ‘book’ in the brand name. Of course the Teachbook folks are free to create an online network for teachers or whomever, and we wish them well in that endeavor,” he said in an e-mail. “What they are not free to do is trade on our name or dilute our brand while doing so.”
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August 25th, 2010 at 8:46 am
While I have no great love for Facebook (nor background in law), I’d say they might have a case here. It does seem that Teachbook may be trying to exploit Facebook’s popularity and imply a connection that isn’t there. The difference with examples like “Goodbook” or “Librarybook” is that those are things that exist in everyday life, in other contexts, whereas I don’t think there’s anything called a “teach book” that they’ve named their site after. If they’d called it, for instance, “Schoolbook,” I’m not sure Facebook would have an argument to be made.
August 25th, 2010 at 10:01 am
“Would Facebook sue a social-networking site for priests named Goodbook?”
I haven’t heard anything about Facebook suing Christbook [see link above]…
August 26th, 2010 at 4:07 am
What with Murdoch claiming that the ’sky’ in Skype belongs to him, and now this travesty, I look forward to being sued by the makers of the Jensen Interceptor car.
August 27th, 2010 at 10:20 am
Look out, Christian Bok!