Twitter Reacts to Facebook’s Trademark of “Book”

In its revised “Statement of Rights and Responsibilities,” Facebook claims the word “book” as a trademark. This may seem both pedantic and silly, but Facebook has always been p...
Twitter Reacts to Facebook’s Trademark of “Book”
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  • In its revised “Statement of Rights and Responsibilities,” Facebook claims the word “book” as a trademark. This may seem both pedantic and silly, but Facebook has always been protective of its namesake.

    Jon Brodkin of Ars Technica clears things up in his article on the issue:

    You may recall that Facebook has launched multiple lawsuits against websites incorporating the word “book” into their names. Facebook, as far as we can tell, doesn’t have a registered trademark on “book.” But trademark rights can be asserted based on use of a term, even if the trademark isn’t registered, and adding the claim to Facebook’s user agreement could boost the company’s standing in future lawsuits filed against sites that use the word.

    “Unregistered marks are quite common in the US,” University of Minnesota Law Professor William McGeveran told Ars. “Rights arise from use, not registration (though registration does give you some other advantages). That’s how Facebook can try to claim ‘book.'” If you see a ™ next to a name, that indicates an unregistered, claimed trademark, whereas an R in a circle signifies a registered one, McGeveran notes.

    Brodkin deserves praise for his well-researched and thoughtful take on the issue, but this nuanced view of what’s going on is obviously lost in the din of Twitter. The expected ridicule is flying:

    If you use facebook you automatically signed the way the right to use the word Book without their permission http://t.co/jXMD5eMr 1 hour ago via web ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    Way to blow today’s cred with me @facebook… › Facebook asserts trademark on word “book” in new user agreement » http://t.co/AsZvcgAQ 24 minutes ago via Tweet Button ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    great post on Facebook’s new trademark ‘book’ – ripping off 500 years of media history http://t.co/lPof65r0 via @evgenymorozov 41 minutes ago via web ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    Should be called Trollbook | Facebook asserts trademark on word “book” in new user agreement http://t.co/xM1LWDP0 via @arstechnica #tvot 49 minutes ago via Tweet Button ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    So, if FB is asserting trademark over ‘book’ what does that mean for RIM’s Playbook? http://t.co/uUdffpWx 1 hour ago via Twitter for Mac ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    (Via ars technica)

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