Filing A Trademark Notice Against Yourself

from the strategies-of-new-media dept

Wed, Jul 29th 2009 8:15am — Mike Masnick

Not so long ago, Facebook launched the ability to secure your own "name" as a part of your URL, but it was done in an awkward way where you wouldn't be allowed to change it and there were some rules involved in whether or not certain "fan pages" could actually get their name. Over the last few weeks, I've heard a few stories of people who had to plead their case at friends at Facebook to do something as simple as get to use a name they had been associated with for ages. However, ChurchHatesTucker points us to an amusing situation for the guy who runs the site TrendHunter.com. Apparently, because he didn't have enough "fans" on his fan pages, he couldn't register the name for the account. But he didn't want anyone else taking it... so he used his personal account to grab the "TrendHunter" name. Problem solved? Not quite. Because Facebook, in its infinite wisdom, does not allow you to transfer names you control. So what did he do? Well, he realized the only way to get the name was to file a trademark dispute with Facebook -- and so he did. Yes, he basically filed a trademark claim against himself in order to convince Facebook to transfer the name he registered over to the proper account.

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Filed Under: trademark
Companies: facebook

11 Comments

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res2 (profile), 29 Jul 2009 @ 9:16am

You gotta do, what you gotta do....
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Liam (profile), 29 Jul 2009 @ 9:21am

I love stuff like this, blatantly and simply shows the ridiculousness of the T&C's of large organisations.
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Anonymous Coward, 29 Jul 2009 @ 9:26am

That man
That man is my hero.
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Dark Helmet (profile), 29 Jul 2009 @ 10:11am

Wait a second...
"Yes, he basically filed a trademark claim against himself in order to convince Facebook to transfer the name he registered over to the proper account"

...did he win?
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- BullJustin (profile), 29 Jul 2009 @ 11:18am
  
  Re: Wait a second...
  Maybe he just settled.
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j, 29 Jul 2009 @ 10:16am

There is always a way to get what you want - regardless of whatever terms/conditions crap exists.

If you are human, you are intelligent, and intelligence is never handcuffed.
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- Dark Helmet (profile), 29 Jul 2009 @ 10:30am
  
  Re:
  "If you are human, you are intelligent"
  
  By that very statement I can see that you are not intelligent...
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- Chargone, 29 Jul 2009 @ 10:34am
  
  Re:
  unless you're the people responsible for the need for this sort of silliness in the first place, apparently.
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mike, 29 Jul 2009 @ 2:03pm

Wow
People still use that site?
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Mason, 29 Jul 2009 @ 4:22pm

Just plain awesome
This guy is just plain right out awesome. He might even be a hero. Companies and their rules for control are meant to be broken!
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kevin (profile), 25 Apr 2011 @ 3:01am

I feel sorry for this kid and I hope they will find him soon. His family should not stop looking for him. Thank you for sharing this story pellet stove flue
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