Company claims trademark infringement and that Facebook hijacked its username.
The Chicago company that owns Timelines.com and a federally registered trademark for “Timelines” has filed a trademark infringement suit (pdf) against Facebook over its new “Timeline” feature. According to the suit:
Facebook has announced its intention to use and, indeed has already begun to re-direct Internet traffic, using Timelines’ federally registered “TIMELINES†trademark as the centerpiece of Facebook’s new product offering going forward, a move that, given the size and reach of Facebook, will essentially eliminate Timelines and leave the public with the confusing impression that plaintiff Timelines is somehow affiliated with Facebook.
My first reaction is “how can a company claim a trademark on ‘timeline’?”
But according to the lawsuit Facebook took another action that looks really bad. The plaintiff says that Facebook has taken over its Facebook page — Facebook.com/timelines — and forwarded it to Facebook.com/timeline, which is Facebook’s informational page about the new feature.
Yeah, that looks bad.
Kevin Murphy says
Live by the sword…
Jim says
Facebook wants to claim they own any domain with the word “face” in it or “book” in it… time for them to take their own medicine.
Clobert Rine says
If Facebook is willing to hijack your user name or Facebook page, then how can any business think they can rely on Facebook instead of their own domain name.
It just shows the perils of relying on a third party for your business name.
Gnanes says
They still own the Timelines page. It doesn’t redirect to facebook timeline page.
Andrew Allemann says
@ gnanes – as of earlier today the Timelines page forward to Facebook’s own page promoting timeline
Domainer Extraordinaire says
“The plaintiff says that Facebook has taken over its Facebook page — Facebook.com/timelines — and forwarded it to Facebook.com/timeline, which is Facebook’s informational page about the new feature.”
This is what makes me laugh when I see all these large companies promote finding them on Facebook. Facebook controls what shows up on their “Facebook website”.
Today I saw a billboard that had in huge text “Find us on Facebook”. Their logo was so small I didn’t know who to find.
Jeremy Leader says
For me at the moment, facebook.com/timelines goes to a page about Timelines, Inc., with lots of “this day in history” wall posts.
Steve M says
While what Facebook’s doing here is wrong (if not illegal), those who insist on building (or otherwise even partly relying) on the rug of others . . . shouldn’t be surprised when that rug is pulled out from under them.