Earlier this month, Facebook announced plans to add a new feature, Timeline, to its popular social networking service. The idea behind Timeline is that users will be able to track their entire Facebook life, including important news and events that have happened to the user, via this new profile feature. Pictures, videos and other content will be included in a user's Facebook Timeline. Now Techcrunch reports that another company, Timelines Inc, has filed a lawsuit against Facebook, alleging that the new feature violates Timelines' trademarks and even claims that Facebook could eliminate Timelines as an organization.
Timelines Inc runs the Timelines.com web site which was established in 2006. The web site lets users view or create multimedia timelines based on historical events. In its lawsuit. Timelines claims that Facebook is violating its US trademarks for the terms Timelines, Timelines.com and Timelines & Design.
In addition to the alleged trademark violations, Timelines claims that Facebook is trying to redirect traffic from Timelines' Facebook page. However as of the time of this news post the URL does in fact still heads to Timelines' page on Facebook. Timelines claims that Facebook's alleged actions in this matter " ... will essentially eliminate Timelines and leave the public with the confusing impression that plaintiff Timelines is somehow affiliated with Facebook." So far Facebook has yet to respond to Timelines' lawsuit.
Facebook announced quite a few new features and changes earlier this month besides Timeline, including a revamp of its News Feed feature. Many of these additions and changes have come under fire by long time Facebook users.
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