October 2, 2007

Facebook.fr: someone is looking for trouble (or money)

Ouriel Ohayon

30 comments »

It is very likely that sometime soon facebook will launch a localized French version (and other languages too) just like MySpace did about a year ago. Actually Facebook is starting to be quite popular in France already, even though the interface is just in English. Until today Facebook.fr was even redirecting to Facebook.com and one would have assumed that the company had acquired the fr URL until the roll out happens.

But it looks like someone else acquired the French domain name, since as of today the redirection points to another social network called “FaceBook Paris“. The whois registry does not reveal much of the identity of the owner (registered as anonymous). The provocation goes a bit further since the social network which seems active is hosted on Ning, a service that allows you to create your own social network and that can be considered a competitor to Facebook.

It is unclear what the motivations of the owner are: probably getting a good leverage to negotiate the sale of the domain to Facebook (who should have acquired it long ago), or maybe just getting some attention. What is certain is that Facebook will react in some way (maybe Ning will too) and won’t let that happen. Maybe that will end up with a cease and desist from Facebook? Maybe that will end up with a nice check? The question being, Did Facebook think of registering its trademark outside the US (this seem obvious but many companies don’t do that)? Still, one piece of advice to Facebook (and others): start registering other local domains before it is too late.

update: Facebook.fr is no longer pointing to Ning but has included a video clip that looks like an advertising in French where the author clearly announces he wishes to sell the URL.

Sphere It

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TechCrunch en français » [fr] Facebook.fr: quelqu'un cherche les ennuis

October 2nd, 2007 at 6:45 am

Facebook.fr: someone is looking for trouble (or money) »TechAddress

October 2nd, 2007 at 7:30 am

16th letter » Blog Archive » Facebook.fr domain name controversy

October 2nd, 2007 at 3:54 pm

Domain Name Wire

October 2nd, 2007 at 6:20 pm

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Ryan Merket

October 2nd, 2007 at 6:49 am

It even looks better than Myspace.
lawrence

October 2nd, 2007 at 7:32 am

lol - he’s a scalper - domainers are scalpers, to some extent.
it’s extortion
Marc Fiszman

October 2nd, 2007 at 8:23 am

Just go the sub-domain route. Eases TLD paranoia, domain management’s a breeze.
Chris Davis

October 2nd, 2007 at 9:08 am

It’s worth mentioning, Facebook won it’s domain name dispute with http://www.face-book.com operating out or ireland.
phenom

October 2nd, 2007 at 9:29 am

lol @ facebook
http://vidsonly.blogspot.com
Steve Ballmer

October 2nd, 2007 at 9:37 am

The french are always looking for money, especially someone else’s!
Believe me I KNOW!
sputnick

October 2nd, 2007 at 9:49 am

Wouldn’t Facebook’s localized URL for France be “visagelivre.fr” anyway?
Alaska Miller

October 2nd, 2007 at 10:24 am

LOL. Facebook does’t need to do squat except send a copyright infringement case to WIPO. $1800 to solve this problem. That’s it. No muss. no fuss.

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2.....n_dispute/
Nic

October 2nd, 2007 at 10:35 am

Strange you mention this. In South Africa facebook.co.za has been unavailable for months and at one point was turned in to a support blog for facebook obsessive users in SA!!
Andrew

October 2nd, 2007 at 10:41 am

looks like a ning site.
Michele

October 2nd, 2007 at 11:18 am

Facebook have several registered trademarks, so the dispute over face-book.com wasn’t that interesting:
http://www.isquattedyour.eu/20.....-decision/
Blake Brannon

October 2nd, 2007 at 11:47 am

Facebook should be all over this, stretching their big money hammer with treats of eternal suffering. This reminds me of the Canadian kid who owned mikerowesoft.com
Sophie Mihalko

October 2nd, 2007 at 12:54 pm

The problem here is that you need to have an address in France to purchase a .fr domain name. It’s actually quite regulated. Also, as sputnick mentioned, they would have to get a name that sounds more French. As much as French people do speak English, if something is to really succeed in France, it will have to look and sound French. I know, I was born and raised there.
Sol

October 2nd, 2007 at 1:41 pm

@Sophie :
1/ You don’t need to have a subsidiary in France to hold a .fr domain if you’ve registered a trademark (see http://www.afnic.fr/obtenir/chartes/nommage-fr_en for details)
2/ As for the need to “localize” one’s product names for them to succeed in France, there are countless examples of this being untrue.
elvirs

October 2nd, 2007 at 1:43 pm

does ning based social networks allow newsfeed as does facebook?
Lewis - Web Design

October 2nd, 2007 at 1:45 pm

That takes some guts to be so cheeky as to do that, but I’m pretty sure that any judge would reward it in their favour. They’re obviously trying to infringe on facebook’s trademark.
Geral

October 2nd, 2007 at 3:06 pm

At Tradename.com, an intellectual property protection service, we advocate but are still surprised at the lack of adoption of preventive law and practices. Protection of one’s IP (e.g. trademark) should make it near the top of concerns for entrepreneurs and their investors.
Davo

October 2nd, 2007 at 4:01 pm

Someone else owns the Aussie version of the domain -> facebook.com.au
Tim

October 2nd, 2007 at 4:01 pm

The person behind it seems to have changed the title of the site to Fakebook anyway - I’m guessing they know the domain will go to facebook as soon as they complain.
Paul

October 2nd, 2007 at 6:14 pm

In Australia the facebook.com.au domain has been taken by a webdesign company for at least the last few months (since I started using facebook), as I often add the .au onto the address as I type it in. However in the past 2 weeks the website has now changed to supposedly be about a phone/VoIP service that might help you remember your friends. Maybe the company that appears to previously be using the site is trying to distance itself a bit. Their regular website is at http://www.ifactory.com.au. Funniest thing is the registry says the Registrant of the domain is the Cocktail King, a company that makes drinks at your party, and advertises on the bottom of the page. Facebook really should have moved in its international domains faster.
Chris Lindborg

October 2nd, 2007 at 7:21 pm

I purchased the spanish version of facebook, http://www.LibroDeCara.com. Do you think I’ll have trouble with facebook someday or will i make out with cash in my pocket?
Bob

October 2nd, 2007 at 8:08 pm

Looks like the site is for sale now…
Tom

October 3rd, 2007 at 6:57 am

This form : http://www.afnic.fr/outils/for.....tact-admin can be used to reach the owner.

I guess he’s going to be in trouble soon…
DR

October 6th, 2007 at 3:42 pm

‘facebook’ is a generic word - Facebook.com is using it for the principal meaning of the word, so hard to see how it could be a strong TM. Other domains are taken like collegefacebook.com and highschoolfacebook.com, hard to see how they could take those names away.
Hostmaster

October 7th, 2007 at 1:32 am

Aren’t registrars supposed to fllowthis icann policy :

http://www.icann.org/dndr/udrp/policy.htm

it states on point 4.b.i :

“(i) circumstances indicating that you have registered or you have acquired the domain name primarily for the purpose of selling, renting, or otherwise transferring the domain name registration to the complainant who is the owner of the trademark or service mark or to a competitor of that complainant, for valuable consideration in excess of your documented out-of-pocket costs directly related to the domain name; or”
sarwar

October 28th, 2007 at 1:10 am

i wanna