In an effort to make it easier for people to find and connect
with one another online, social networking provider Facebook, Inc.,
is offering its users the opportunity to create custom usernames to
identify themselves in the URLs for their profile pages. At 3:00
p.m. on Tuesday, June 9, 2009, Facebook announced its plan to
replace the randomly assigned numerical labels for its individual
member folders (e.g., http://facebook.com/profile.php?id=7080706),
with user-selected web addresses for personal profiles and Facebook
pages (e.g., http://www.facebook.com/dorsey.whitney). Facebook
claims that the new Facebook URLs will be like a "personal
destination, or home, on the Web" for its users. Not only will
it be possible to find particular Facebook profiles by using
individual names as search terms in Facebook searches, internet
users will be able to locate these pages by performing Google
searches of individual usernames.
The new Facebook usernames must be at least 5 characters in length
and may contain only Latin alphanumeric characters. Facebook has
indicated that it will not consider requests to register generic
usernames such as "flowers" or "pizza" at this
time. Username registration opens to Facebook members on
Saturday June 13, 2009, at midnight EDT. Facebook
usernames will be registered on a first-come, first-served basis.
Upon finalizing their selections, Facebook users will have the
option to publish their new URLs immediately.
How To Prevent Facebook Users From Registering And Using Your Trademark As a Facebook Username
Trademark owners who wish to prevent their marks from being
registered as new Facebook usernames should act quickly to notify
Facebook of their intellectual property rights. Rights holders are
encouraged to reserve/protect their marks by completing and
submitting an electronic request using Facebook's online
request form available here.
Please note Facebook has indicated it will only accept requests to
protect registered trademarks.
In an attempt to further safeguard intellectual property rights and
prevent "username squatting," Facebook has temporarily
limited eligibility for usernames to members whose Facebook
accounts pre-date the public announcement of the new vanity URLs.
Username registration for new post-announcement Facebook members
will not open until Sunday, June 28, 2009.
Facebook has also implemented a process for requesting the removal
of infringing usernames should trademark owners fail to notify
Facebook of their rights prior to the June 13
deadline. Facebook's automated IP Infringement Notice
form is available online here. Once a username is set, however, it may
not be altered or transferred for any reason. Accordingly, if
Facebook agrees to remove a username based on a trademark
owner's request, it appears that the username will be
permanently unavailable for future use by any other user, including
the trademark owner.
Dorsey and Whitney's trademark group would be pleased to notify
Facebook of your intellectual property rights if you would like
assistance with preventing your trademark from being registered as
a Facebook username, or help with removing vanity URLs for
infringing users' profile pages that have already been
published on the Internet. We will continue to update you on
Facebook's new username program and how you can protect your
trademark from being used by Facebook members, as further
developments occur and new information becomes available.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.