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Facebook To Own the Word "Face"

Posted by samzenpus on from the what's-in-a-word dept.

Dthief writes "The US Patent And Trademark Office has sent Facebook a Notice of Allowance, which means it will grant the 'Face' trademark to the popular social networking site. Facebook now has three months to pay an issue fee before they officially own the word. From the article: 'For all intents and purposes today's status update bodes well for Facebook's hold over 'face' usages in 'Telecommunication services, namely, providing online chat rooms and electronic bulletin boards for transmission of messages among computer users in the field of general interest and concerning social and entertainment subject matter, none primarily featuring or relating to motoring or to cars.''"

31 of 311 comments (clear)

  1. So what you're saying is... by Monkeedude1212 · · Score: 4, Funny

    My super rich application, FaceSuite, complete with all the regular knacks, FaceDrafting, FaceSpreadsheet, FaceChat, FaceMediaPlayer, and my ultimate favourite, FaceFace Designer - will need to be rehashed and trademarks changed?

    1. Re:So what you're saying is... by pookemon · · Score: 5, Funny

      You'll have to rename it then. I suggest "Arse" (or Ass depending on where you're from).

      ArseSuite, ArseDrafting, ArseSpreadsheet, ArseChat, ArseMediaPlayer and your ultimate favourite ArseFace. :P

      --
      dnuof eruc rof aixelsid
    2. Re:So what you're saying is... by commodoresloat · · Score: 4, Funny

      Just use a synonym. I suggest "mug." MugSuite has a nice ring to it.

    3. Re:So what you're saying is... by 93+Escort+Wagon · · Score: 4, Funny

      Just use a synonym. I suggest "mug." MugSuite has a nice ring to it.

      No, not mug - use "toot".

      --
      #DeleteChrome
    4. Re:So what you're saying is... by angus77 · · Score: 4, Funny

      You'll have to rename it then. I suggest "Arse"

      I'm afraid ArseTechnica beat him to it.

    5. Re:So what you're saying is... by FatdogHaiku · · Score: 5, Funny

      ... ArseSpreadsheet...

      Does that work out to a goatse joke somehow?

      --
      You have the right to remain sentient. If you give up the right to remain sentient, you will be elected to public office
    6. Re:So what you're saying is... by pookemon · · Score: 4, Funny

      Some ppl have no sense of humour. ;)

      BTW - The browser I'm using is AE (Arse Explorer) and I download my torrents with ArseTorrent (Ew).

      --
      dnuof eruc rof aixelsid
    7. Re:So what you're saying is... by AchilleTalon · · Score: 4, Interesting

      I rather than suggest to enter the procedure to register Ace as a trademark, then you should be able to sell you FaceSuite and have Facebook repay you their rights plus the right to use ACE in Face.

      --
      Achille Talon
      Hop!
  2. First "Book" and now "Face"? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Didn't they sue someone over the use of the word "Book" (teachersbook) or something like that? This was a common phrase to apply to a year book. This kind of stuff is just beyond me...nobody should be able to own common words or letters.

    1. Re:First "Book" and now "Face"? by countSudoku() · · Score: 5, Funny

      Technically, this means they own the term "fuckface" which is a common synonym for Zuckerberg. So, hat's off to fuckface!

      --
      This is the NSA, we're gonna geet U h@x0r5! Also, what is a h@x0r5?
    2. Re:First "Book" and now "Face"? by Monkeedude1212 · · Score: 3, Informative

      You are correct.

      Facebook vs Teachbook.

      However they had SOME miniscule ground in that Teachbook is meant to be a social network for teachers - and Facebook being a social network - felt that the use of 'x'book for social media sites kind of makes it sound like its trying to copy or associate with them, so they're defending the Facebook trademark that way.

      Now - they basically want to do the same thing with Face, I assume. No social networking site Can be Face'x'. I don't think the lawyers would be stupid to try and defend its trademark outside the realm of which the company operates.

    3. Re:First "Book" and now "Face"? by GameboyRMH · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Zuckerfuck: What social media does to the web, and human society.

      Future history book:

      In the mid 2000s, mankind was beginning to be Zuckerfucked. By 2015 the Zuckerfuckification was complete, and new words had to be invented for "face" and "book" to avoid licensing fees. Unfortunately it was impossible to spread the use of these words among the population without making them the property of Facebook or Twitter, leading to the current usage of "that thing between your chin and your hairline" and "bound set of pages." However Pepsi was still as delicious as ever. Drink Pepsi.

      --
      "When information is power, privacy is freedom" - Jah-Wren Ryel
  3. Facepalm! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    FacePalm!

    1. Re:Facepalm! by Grapplebeam · · Score: 5, Funny

      Apply directly to the forehead! Facepalm! Apply directly to the forehead!

      --
      There is no -1 Disagree.
    2. Re:Facepalm! by whathappenedtomonday · · Score: 3, Funny

      Facetious!

      --
      I hope I didn't brain my damage.
  4. Trademarks never to be used by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Interesting

    It's a sad day, we now know that Mark Zuckerberg has the trademark on AssFace and FuckFace. Well, I guess we knew that already anyways.

  5. How about by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Facetime?

  6. Apple will have to cede trademark ownership... by shaark78 · · Score: 5, Interesting

    of Facetime?

    1. Re:Apple will have to cede trademark ownership... by AnonymousClown · · Score: 5, Funny

      of Facetime?

      1! 2! 3! 4! I call an IP war!

      --
      RIP America

      July 4, 1776 - September 11, 2001

    2. Re:Apple will have to cede trademark ownership... by Marcika · · Score: 5, Funny

      of Facetime?

      1! 2! 3! 4! I call an IP war!

      5! 6! 7! 8! Imitate and Litigate!

    3. Re:Apple will have to cede trademark ownership... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      of Facetime?

      1! 2! 3! 4! I call an IP war!

      5! 6! 7! 8! Imitate and Litigate!

      9! A! B! C! Trademarking is almost free!

  7. Face.com by denshao2 · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Face.com may be forced to remove their Facebook like box.

  8. Not necessarily as bad as it sounds by KC1P · · Score: 3, Interesting

    This might not cause that much trouble, because when you *register* a trademark (as in (R)) you have to specify what business the mark will be used in and it's limited to that. A non-registered trademark (as in TM) is harder to defend but has a lot more wiggle room for the trademark holder. IANAL but I'll continue using the word "Face" w/o worrying, unless I'm building a social networking web site.

  9. Terrible by commodoresloat · · Score: 4, Interesting

    This is like a slap in the face to the public!

    Wait, what do you mean I owe Mark Zuckerberg a thousand dollars for this slashdot comment?

  10. What did Apple say about this? by jmichaelg · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Does the ruling include Facetime?

  11. damn. by nblender · · Score: 4, Funny

    So much for facebukkake.com...

  12. Re:Generic Word? by jisatsusha · · Score: 4, Informative

    There was no precedent, Microsoft paid Lindows to shut up and change their name out of court.

  13. Re:AAAND LO!!! by cappp · · Score: 5, Insightful
    Most of the complaints are arising out of ignorance of the law, and a little internet hyperbole thrown in for good measure. Facebook no more owns the word "face" than Microsoft owns "windows" or McDolands owns "big." The 1st Amendment and Fair Use standards still apply to trademark terms. What is being stopped here, however, is the specific use of a specific term in a specific instance. You're no longer allowed to create a social networking site using Face-, that's all. Hell, even that's not quite true - there are a number of legal routes to doing so if you wanted including challenging the trademark, Fair Use, concurrent use, geographic protections, different industry, and so on. The system is designed to protect consumers from deliberate confusion, and its a good one for all it's flaws. Sure it could do with a little revision but its equally important that people spend some time and actually understand the system they're slamming...inevitablly its not nearly as illogical, stupid, or flawed as some would have you believe.

    There's a great comment on TFA that really nails is. I'm reproducing it here for convenience:

    What Facebook are trying to trademark is the use of the word "face" in electronic applications (Telecommunication as an alternative word for "online") offering social (i.e. facebook like) applications. This make a lot of sense. Just like many other generic terms used in a non trivial way. the word "face" is not descriptive in the way that "myface" describes (literally) an application where people may comment and interact socially. This is why also Apple's FaceTime will not breach the trademark, as it is using the word face literally (enabling the other side of the conversation to see your face) and not referring to the word Face in the non-dictionary meaning of it, which is attributed to facebook's phenomena (namely social networking). This doesn't give facebook the rights for the use of the word face for a face recognition software, or for other non related use. I personally agree that facebook should get the rights for the usage of the word face in the "social network" meaning, as they created this meaning, and protect them from people launching services named faceXXX or XXXface that may indicate relationship to facebook. This is just like caterpillar trademarking the word "cat" for construction and manufacturing equipment (but not getting rights for CatFeeder, or LolCats).

  14. Absurd by ChrisMaple · · Score: 3, Informative

    "face" in a telecomunications context. Such as "interface"? Someone needs to beat them in the face with a clue stick.

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  15. "I pity the fool by Compaqt · · Score: 3, Funny

    who thinks he has a trademark on Face."

    A friend of Templeton Peck.

    --
    I'm not a lawyer, but I play one on the Internet. Blog
  16. Re:No, not really by Culture20 · · Score: 3, Informative

    "created" words like facebook

    Actually, facebook is a real word. Not created at all. It's like a college yearbook, but created and distributed with contact info, allowing people to contact each other in college and potentially after they've graduated. "Facebook (R)" is just a facebook on the web (which morphed into a social network, and added people who aren't in college).