Social networking website Facebook could be closed if legal action in the US by a rival site's founders succeeds.
Three founders of ConnectU say Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg stole their idea for the site while at Harvard.
Facebook has become a global phenomenon with about 31 million users, compared with ConnectU's 70,000.
A Federal case accuses Mr Zuckerberg of fraud and misappropriation of trade secrets, and asks for ConnectU to be given ownership of Facebook.
Last year, Facebook turned down a $1bn offer from Yahoo.
Facebook has asked a judge at a Boston district court to dismiss the case.
The ConnectU founders claim that while at college Mr Zuckerberg agreed to finish writing computer code for them, but that he stalled and eventually created Facebook using their ideas.
View: BBC News
Three founders of ConnectU say Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg stole their idea for the site while at Harvard.
Facebook has become a global phenomenon with about 31 million users, compared with ConnectU's 70,000.
A Federal case accuses Mr Zuckerberg of fraud and misappropriation of trade secrets, and asks for ConnectU to be given ownership of Facebook.
Last year, Facebook turned down a $1bn offer from Yahoo.
Facebook has asked a judge at a Boston district court to dismiss the case.
The ConnectU founders claim that while at college Mr Zuckerberg agreed to finish writing computer code for them, but that he stalled and eventually created Facebook using their ideas.
View: BBC News
Their claims seem pretty weak. Facebook just beat them to the punch.
I'm sure they wouldn't both taking them to court if they didn't have proof...
Conversion of a program into or between computer languages and codes corresponds to adapting a work. Storing any work in a computer amounts to copying the work. In addition, running a computer program or displaying work on a video display unit (VDU) will usually involve copying and thus require the consent of the copyright owner.
See http://www.ipo.gov.uk/copy/c-applies/c-compute.htm.
ConnectU is horrible, literally horrible. Honestly I bet monkeys can come up with a better UI and color scheme.
The site is terribly slow, you get a million connect to database errors, not many schools/colleges/universities are supported, userbase is way way way smaller etc etc
Facebook is fast, slick and easy to use. The only "bad" part is applications [some applications are useful, but many are totally pointless and just junk], but that can easily be fixed by doing what www.virb.com did, add a button on each profile called Remove Customization.
I honestly don't know how it's users even stand it, and many claim its better than facebook. Yeh sure, as if.
Last edited by -Razorfold on 25 Jul 2007 - 08:07
You can't copyright an idea...
You can patent it, or keep it as a trade secret, but you can't copyright it.
It's called "waiting for the company to be worth a lot, and then sueing it for a baseless bull**** claim"
It's called "waiting for the company to be worth a lot, and then sueing it for a baseless bull**** claim"
Actually this has already been in court for years, before facebook really took off.
It's pretty common to wait until something is worth a lot more money before you go and sue. Happens with patents a lot too.
Actually, I remember reading about this very thing with ConnectU going after Mark Zuckerberg and Facebook back when I was still in college in my college newspaper, when Facebook was less than 6 months old.
cant believe that offer from yahoo though.. $1BN... mental!
This suit isn't a baseless claim. I am pretty sure they have a chance, if what I remember is correct.
Facebook already gives you adware when you visit their site ..
But no doubt that there would be plenty more if Yahoo! were to take over.
No, because it is worth more than that
Anyways facebook's cool, I hope they don't add the skinning or incorporate horrid things like myspace did... facebook's simple and elegant. The only thing I don't like it, is the security on friends.
And kind of funny how this only comes up when facebook starts getting popular?
-Spenser
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