back to article Facebook comes down hard on Faceporn

Facebook is suing Faceporn for alleged trademark infringement. The social networking giant claims Faceporn copied its logo, aspects of its blue and white page design and other trademarks. A statement on faceporn.com says: "Due to unforeseen circumstances, faceporn is down until further notice. We are doing our best to come …

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  1. Shonko Kid
    FAIL

    "...tarnish our brand..."

    That's our job. Bitch!

  2. Andy Fletcher

    I hadn't heard if it either

    and I seriously doubt that many people had. But now they do. I wonder when internet companies will realise that there's pretty much no such thing as bad publicity on the web. It's all, simply, publicity so shouting about something you don't want people to know about is kinda counter productive.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Paris Hilton

      I think you meant to say...

      Facebook is going to pound Faceporn, but Faceporn likes to be treated rough and will just scream for more.

  3. Ol'Peculier
    Unhappy

    Podium?

    Podium - WTF?

    What on earth do the guys that win races stand on in the future?

    1. Wize

      They should get one of those...

      ...pedal-stools.

  4. John G Imrie
    Happy

    So Facebook thinks...

    it's so like a porn site that users of FacePorn might get confused.

    Yep that seams about right.

  5. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    "Facebook of Sex"

    Odd that the ubiquitous banner ads for the similarly infringing "Facebook of Sex" have been around for so long.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Same thing I thought

      I somehow find the "Facebook of Sex" thingy a worst trademark violation than "faceporn". To be fair, I thought those were some kind of XKCD invention, until I actually stumbled into one of those ads.

  6. sT0rNG b4R3 duRiD

    Unaware

    "Vulture Towers is ashamed to admit it was unaware of Faceporn until earlier today."

    As was I. I'm going to take a look at it now.. hmmm

  7. Cyberspice

    Remember they have to...

    One of the principles of trademark law is that you must defend it or lose any protection under the law. In order to retain trademark Facebook have to defend every potential infringement.

    1. asdf
      WTF?

      no way why would that be?

      You mean lawyers who most politicians are write laws that put a tax on companies to force them to pay lawyers to defend their business models. IMHO most of the corruption in Western culture can be directly and indirectly to greedy lawyers who put a tax on anything and everything everyone else does.

  8. The Indomitable Gall

    To be fair....

    To be fair, the porn industry is well-known for playing off other people's trademarks. The fact that Hollywood generally leaves them alone is no real excuse.

    And considering the minor role face plays in porn, it's not hard to twig what they're up to.

    1. Burch

      errrr

      Never mind....

    2. Version 1.0 Silver badge
      Happy

      To be fair ....

      Hollywood (and I do like that name) figured out a long time ago that there's no such thing as bad publicity - if Facebonk ^H^H^Hook had ignored FacePorn then the site would have probably sunk without a trace ... or else FacePorn would been force to sue FaceBook for "passing off" to get publicity.

      I have to admit that my first thought was that "FacePorn" was some kind of PhotoShopped site ... that's got to be one of the dumbest web site names in history ... "YouPorn" on the other hand has much better "visuals" upon first hearing.

  9. bobbles31

    This is like

    That other story with the guy losing the ryanairarerubbish url or whatever it was.

    How many of these urls can we find to force facebook to registering them if only to stop other people registering them.

    FaceSlap

    FaceCrap

    FaceAss

    FaceCock

    1. Blofeld's Cat
      Troll

      How about...

      FacePod

      1. RegisterThis
        Troll

        or FacePad?

        ... for heavy verbal diarrhea days ...

      2. Sir Runcible Spoon

        Sir

        So, who gets to sue www.myface.com ?

        Myspace or Facebook?

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Paris Hilton

          Oooh, lemme think...

          BOTH!

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Coat

      poke-her-face.com

      ... gets coat and heads for door...

  10. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Nothing to be ashamed of really.

    "......is unclear. Vulture Towers is ashamed to admit it was unaware of Faceporn until earlier today. "

    Nor was I, now the far more important issue, when is it coming up again?

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Coat

      As soon as...

      "...now the far more important issue, when is it coming up again?" ... the fluffer arrives and warms up her hands.

      Chuck us me coat, I'd like to leave before the fluffer arrives.

  11. BorkedAgain
    Paris Hilton

    Dereliction of duty

    "Vulture Towers is ashamed to admit it was unaware of Faceporn until earlier today."

    I thought that was your job, guys? Keeping on top of this sort of thing so your loyal readers didn't have to. Honestly. Now I'm going to have to spend more of my own time browsing porn sites online so that I know my awareness is up-to-scratch...

    I hope you're happy now.

    Pff.

    1. J 3
      Dead Vulture

      Yeah...

      Speaking of which, I haven't seen El Reg doing any coverage of the new issue of the Russian Maxim, you know, the one with our favorite spy Ms. Chapman on the cover and all that. Tsc tsc.

  12. Robert Carnegie Silver badge

    "Faceporn" is...

    ...either unclear on the concept, or something so ghastly that I can't imagine it - and please don't help me.

    The first couple of times somebody explained "teabagging", I was appalled. Then I forgot what it meant. Now I'm taking care not to find out again. Luckily that isn't very difficult.

    1. Alpha Tony
      Paris Hilton

      'The first couple of times somebody explained "teabagging", I was appalled.'

      Really Robert?

      Did they explain by doing a demonstration on you or something? (and if so it's interesting that you asked them to explain it a couple of times!)

      If not you'd better get the Australian government to come round and install some filters on your internet pretty quick as there are much, much more disturbing things people can get up to.

      Some of them even take their socks off and keep the lights on while doing them!

      1. Robert Carnegie Silver badge

        I'm a tea drinker, Republicans are now The Tea Party, it came up, yikes.

        If what you're thinking of doesn't leave a brown stain on the saucer then we are talking about different things.

        I'm open minded about what consenting adults may do but with an exception against humiliation just for the sake of it, which is what... I'm trying not to remember. What was put to me was just so far from sex that I don't even understand it.

        So, anyway, Faceporn... if they are doing some or most of what Facebook does, but with the added element of porn, then Facebook are reasonably aggrieved.

        But if they are doing porn of the face, I say, "Hey! Eyes down -there-, lady!"

        Well, it's not that I don't consider the face to be an important and attractive feature of human beings. However, in much of graphical erotica, faces show rather clearly that the people involved are not enjoying the event as much as you, the spectator, were hoping to. This appeals to some, but I find it discouraging, and, in fact, I disapprove.

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          "the people involved are not enjoying the event as much as you"

          Substantially correct.

          That's because it is a job, done for money.

  13. Winkypop Silver badge
    FAIL

    Bwahahhahaaaaahhaaa

    "and dilute and tarnish our brand "

    See title...

  14. Graham Bartlett

    @bobbles31

    FacePlant - redirect for when it falls over

    FaceOff - for the lawsuits

    FaceInating - because it really isn't

    1. Stoneshop
      Coat

      FaceT

      Some aspect of.

      Or maybe the combined site for two of the A-Team's members.

      Then of course being FaceTious means you might have to FaceTheConsequences.

  15. Alpha Tony

    Come on...

    ...No-one could get confused between the two sites.

    After all, one is entirely about the exploitation of people who don't know better and is visited by sad, lonely wankers who sit in darkened rooms furtively clicking links, pretending it in some way adds a sense of fulfilment to their empty lives..

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Happy

      ... c'mon, c'mon

      ..... and the other is presumably some sort of porn site. (cue musical sting/ trombones/kazoo).

      Sorry I'm on dangling innuendo partol....

    2. wayward4now
      Linux

      Question

      ".No-one could get confused between the two sites.

      After all, one is entirely about the exploitation of people who don't know better and is visited by sad, lonely wankers who sit in darkened rooms furtively clicking links, pretending it in some way adds a sense of fulfilment to their empty lives.."

      You ARE talking about Facebook, right? :) Ric

  16. Anonymous Coward
    FAIL

    Oh, Ms Streisand, you've done it again

    I'd never heard of FacePorn until I read this.

    Do we need a Barbra Streisand icon?

    1. Adam Salisbury
      Thumb Up

      Damn

      You beat me to the Streisand Effect reference, I was wondering how long it'd take!

  17. John I'm only dancing

    dilute and tarnish our brand

    In that case Facebook, if your brand becomes tarnished, I suggest you use turd polish because No amount of polishing your brand will prevent people from realising, it is in fact, a Turd.

  18. steve007UK
    FAIL

    Faceporn

    I want facebook and all its assets for using a part of my body in its name (face) these companys neeed to F off, all they care about in money. Wouldent use facebook even if they payed me either usless fkers.

  19. David 45

    Title

    Shouldn't that title be: "Facebook GOES down hard on Faceporn" ?

    Oh, I don't know - maybe right the first time!

  20. FozzyBear
    Thumb Up

    Thanks

    For the heads up on the new porn site

  21. JaitcH
    Unhappy

    Another American outfit claiming copyright to the dictionary

    The only commonality between Facebook and Faceporn is the word 'face' which is so common it must have been used for every human ever born and well before Zucker whatnot was born.

    As for the colours they are suddenly people can't use the same colour? Maybe I sould think about that next time I sample a web page colou palette that I find pleasing.

    The logo's are likely the only thing that the court could get upset about.

    The dictionary should remain public domain, if someone wants a unique word, let them work on it, just like Exxon or Lenovo did.

  22. Anonymous Coward
    Grenade

    Never heard of face port

    But I'll contribute to their legal fund on principal.

    Facebook need to fuck themselves..... but wait they are already fucking their users ....

  23. Francis Boyle Silver badge

    You forgot

    the obligatory XKCD reference:

    http://xkcd.com/624/

    Because, er, lesbians.

  24. Daniel B.
    Coat

    Going after Apple next?

    After all, they have FaceTime.

  25. JohnG

    lamebook,com

    Apparently OK.

  26. Tom Kelsall
    Stop

    the article

    ...misses part of the point in that the Good Ol' US of A operates a "Protect it or Lose it" policy when it comes to trademark infringement. If Facebook had not initiated legal action they might have diluted or even removed the rights they currently have to their brand image. I think these alone are sufficient grounds to justify the piles and piles of litigation over trademarks in the USA.

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