Facebook To Trademark “Face”

  • Share
  • Read Later

Facebook is one step closer to trade marking the word, “face.” The very idea would be ridiculous if it wasn’t proof of the company’s rapid escalation within the race for web sovereignty.

More on Techland: MySpace Integrates Facebook

The trademark, which only applies to the word “face” when it’s used for online communication and social networking (Think: chat rooms, bulletins, feeds), could be in effect within six months. According to Inside Facebook, the company received notice from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office today that their trademark request, first filed in December 2005, is nearly ready for issue. And it certainly comes at an interesting time as it’s no secret the company has made noise this year. From its 500 million users announcement to controversial concerns over privacy and a feature film poised to get its share of Oscar’s limelight, Facebook has been everywhere, and thereby ripe to make another move.

More on Techland: Two-Minute Video: Facebook’s New Messaging Service Explained

And so they have. It seems as if the company has been stamping out the competition one by one since its founding in 2004, first taking on rival social media sites, then slowly but surely advancing on the web’s heaviest hitters: Microsoft, Apple – even Google. When the idea that Facebook could someday surpass Google in web traffic came to light, it seemed as much a threat as another ice age. After all, Mark Zuckerberg’s Internet toy was novel, but it was just another web fad. But as Hitwise reported that Facebook.com passed Google.com in traffic last week – 3% more web visits and nearly five times as many pageviews – Facebook’s formidable Internet domination seems nigh. With more services popping up on its now open platform, the site has slowly positioned itself to become so ingrained in its users everyday online habits, it just became natural to stretch its reach. (Facebook now has its own marketplace, e-mail messaging system and Foursquare-esque Places feature for your all-in-one Internet pleasure.) It’s the gilded cage you’ll never even notice.

More on Techland:

Photos: Inside Facebook Headquarters

Yahoo! Clues Teaches You About Searching Online

Facebook Users Can Soon Play “Pocket God”