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Facebook Closer to Trademarking "Face"
Facebook recently received a “notice of allowance” from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Facebook now has six months to show that it uses the trademark, and to pay a $100 fee. Once this is done, the trademark can be approved or rejected. Facebook originally filed its trademark application to trademark the word “face” in December of 2005.
Even if Facebook receives trademark approval, it would not have monopoly over the use of the word “face”. The trademark would only apply in “online chat rooms and electronic bulletin boards for the transmission of messages among computer users in the field of general interest and concerning social and entertainment subject matter.” As such, the use of the word “face” by another company could be acceptable in a different context.
For additional information, visit:
http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2010/11/25/facebook-trademark-face.html#ixzz16JKzUcYw