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Facebook Says It Owns 'Book'

An anonymous reader writes "The Chicago Tribune is reporting that Facebook has sued a tiny start-up called Teachbook.com over the use of 'book' in its name. The start-up, which has two employees, aims to provide tools for teachers to manage their classrooms and share lesson plans and other resources. 'Effectively they're bombing a mosquito here, and we're not sure why they want to do that,' Teachbook.com co-director Greg Shrader told the Tribune. Facebook said its use of 'book' in its name is 'highly distinctive in the context of online communities and networking websites.' Facebook apparently is alleging that no other online 'network of people' can use the word 'book' in its name without violating its trademark."

4 of 483 comments (clear)

  1. Re:uh what about this? by somersault · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Personally, I don't think that TheFaceBook has much of a case, particularly as 'Phone Book' would seem to be their 'root' concept.

    From Wikipedia:

    The original concept for Facebook was borrowed from a product produced by Zuckerberg's prep school Phillips Exeter Academy, which for decades published and distributed a printed manual of all students and faculty, unofficially called the "face book".

    Bloody hypocrites..

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    which is totally what she said
  2. Re:You Fail by Bucc5062 · · Score: 3, Interesting

    With FrostyPiss as a nickname...good possibility. I thought the same thing.

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    Life is a great ride, the vehicle doesn't matter
  3. Re:Give Me A Break! by El_Muerte_TDS · · Score: 3, Interesting

    And here I thought the name facebook was based on the well known real world counter part: yearbook

  4. Re:Cookbook by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Interesting

    There go my plans for fuckbook where you can find new friends to screw and play fuckville and fuckwars.
    Well screw 'em Facebook can't have an account. The fuckers.

    Umm... They already have that:

    http://www.fuckbook.com/