According to Chris Crum of WebProNews, here’s part of the beginning of the suit filed by Facebook:
Defendant Teachbook.com LLC rides on the coattails of the fame and enormous goodwill of the FACEBOOK trademark. Misappropriating the distinctive BOOK portion of Facebook's trademark…The Teachbook site is more than just socializing, though. According to WebProNews,
It lets teachers create lesson plans, instructional videos, and other teaching resources. It lets users manage their classroom communications with secure parent-teacher communication tools….It lets teachers communicate with colleagues through discussion, chat, blogs, etc. It lets them create and manage online courses and instructional modules. It lets teachers manage student grades by recording, calculating, and sharing them within the Gradebook.Crum also points out:
It's also worth noting that Facebook just launched a product called "Facebook Places," even though Google (their direct competitor) already had a product called "Google Places".What do you think? Will Facebook win the lawsuit?
27 comments:
I certainly hope that if they do, Google go after them for 'places'.
Can't someone sue them for the use of the word book? ☺
It would set a bad precident if they did!
Considering Facebook is being sued by the co-founder of Microsoft for patent infringement it all seems a vicious cycle.
Could a teacher every do all of that on FB? Would they even want to?
If they win, will anyone be able to use the 'b' word again? Suing does give them lots of attention.
Mason
Thoughts in Progress
I get so tired of this sue-happy trend. Hopefully, they won't win.
I can't believe they're suing over that - seems pretty silly. But I've now got a new site (Teachbook not Facebook) to check out :)
I'm not lawyer, but I have a feeling they will argue that putting the word "book" into Teachbook is too close to Facebook's structure and piggybacks onto Facebook's fame. i'm hoping they lose, though.
In my opinion it’s a ridiculous and frivolous lawsuit that makes me want to have nothing to do with Facebook.
That's just crazy. I understand the angle for their suit, with the piggy-back claim, though I don't agree with it. It's ridiculous to think that we're going to start licensing half of a title. We truly do live in a lawsuit-crazed society.
I hope not, but they are a big company with expensive legal representation. It may not even need to make it to court - the legal fees alone may be enough to crush Teachbook. Maybe Face the Nation should sue Facebook for using Face. Jeeze.
~jon
Oh lordy.
Karen
If Facebook owns the word book I think all us writers are in trouble.
Oh for heaven's sake ... I hope they DON'T win; how petty, fear-based, and anti-free-enterprising of them. I doubt they face any lack of growth or membership because of a Teachbook site. Absurd. Throw the case out, judge.
I have to agree with all of the above. It's an obvious power play and should be thrown out of court.
That's an idea, Jon.
Lauri, perhaps we should start coming up with other words for books.
Guess we'll have to wait and see what happens.
This does nothing to endear me to FB.
That's insane. Surely Facebook has better things to do with its millions!
I'm wondering if it's not so much that they want to bring down Teachbook, but that they want to stop any future groups, like maybe Connectbook or Friendbook or Socialbook or some group that would be more similar to them than Teacherbook.
Mark Zuckerberg should grow up. I think he's a twit because he has no respect for privacy rights.
Does he really think that no other website with a social aspect should have book in their title?
Is he worried a small teacher site will take away his mysteriously acquired profits?
Money's usually at the root of everything, Jenn, so you may be right.
Aghgh! Crazy world, and yeah, if they win I hope Google goes after them. Only fair.
Knowing what I do about Facebook, this doesn't come as a surprise. However, I think they'll lose and I do hope Google gives them the smackdown for using Places in the same distinction. I find more at fault with the latter, than I do with their irritation with Teachbook. (Hugs)Indigo
I certainly hope they don't win this stupid case. Stop picking on teachers, Facebook. Ugh.
The Facebook guys are just crazy.
I think Johann Gutenberg (or his descendants) should sue Facebook, and claim the rights to the book back >:)
Cold As Heaven
You may have given the Gutenberg family an idea, Cold As Heaven.
This is so laughable and a bit sad because it's true.
Sadly, Teachbook will probably give up because they won't have the resources. I wouldn't have even thought of Teachbook sounding like Facebook.
Facebook versus Google. Now that would be a fight.
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