Faceporn wins battle against Facebook, a victory for all company names starting with “face”

Facebook is learning that money and fame cannot buy you everything. The social network has been thwarted in its aggressive pursuit to sue any company that uses “book” or “face” in its domain name, most recently against a porn site in Norway.

Last week, U.S. District Court Judge Jeffrey S. White ruled against Facebook in a case first filed in 2010 against Norway-based adult social network Faceporn. Facebook requested full ownership of the domain name along with “an award of attorney’s fees and costs.”

Judge White felt Facebook was left without a leg to stand on, stating the social network “has failed to show that defendants, both residents of Norway, purposefully directed their conduct at California.” The judge recommended the motion be denied and the action dismissed for “lack of personal jurisdiction.”

This is not the first time Facebook has gotten in other companies’ faces. It has come after other sites with “face” or “book” in their names, including Shagbook, Teachbook, and Lamebook. So far, all of the lawsuits have been dead ends except for Lamebook, which ended with a settlement with Lamebook that left the parody site standing.

According to the report, Facebook currently owns ten trademarks with another seventeen pending approval. The social network even owns a trademark for the word “wall.” The company plans to continue its lawsuit against Faceporn in Norway, which could lead to a “likelihood of confusion” test.

Thumbnail image of blank face via ShutterStock