Facebook Goes Lawsuit Crazy, Sues Teachbook

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Facebook is a great service used by many people on the internet. For many users, it is the way that they interact with the internet as a whole. Now on top, Facebook seems to be getting a little worried about possible threats from competition, as it has filed a lawsuit against Teachbook for trademark infringement.

Caroline McCarthy has the full article over on CNET. Teachbook is a social networking site which is geared towards teachers. However Facebook doesn’t like this, and they have filed a court complaint in a California district court against Teachbook, claiming that the word “book” is infringing on their trademarks.

Facebook is claiming that “If others could freely use ‘generic plus BOOK’ marks for online networking services targeted to that particular generic category of individuals, the suffix ‘book’ could become a generic term for ‘online community/networking services’ or ‘social networking services.’ The claim is that this could dilute the distinctiveness of Facebook which would then have an effect on their ability to market the Facebook service.

Teachbook hasn’t commented on the matter so far. It seems that Facebook are defending their business and are using this as more of a lesson to others than as a threat to Teachbook. The message here is ‘Don’t mess with us, we’re not afraid to strike’. For the full analysis, check out the CNET article. What do you think about this? Are Facebook out of line to sue? Let us know in the comments.