Facebook Inc., a social networking website company, announced on June 9, 2009 that users may create personalized URLs for their Facebook pages (e.g., facebook.com/[your username]) beginning at 12:01 a.m. US EST on Saturday, June 13, 2009.
In conjunction with this option, Facebook has created an online form for trademark rights owners to reserve their trademark(s) and/or service mark(s) on the Facebook platform in order to prevent other Facebook users from registering those marks as their personalized URL. The form requires the entry of a contact e-mail address, company name, your title, the trademark your company seeks to reserve and protect, and the trademark's Registration Number. The form is available at www.facebook.com/help/contact.php?show_form=username_rights. Reserving your company's mark(s) does not equate to creating a personalized URL for your company.
In the event another Facebook user reserves one or more of your company's trademarks or service marks, you may report a claim of infringement using Facebook's automated IP infringement form, available at www.facebook.com/copyright.php?noncopyright_notice=1, which requires a statement of the rights infringed, the location of the infringing content on the Facebook site, and an explanation of how the content infringes your company's intellectual property rights.
For more information, please see Facebook's Statement of Rights and Responsibilities, last revised May 1, 2009, at www.facebook.com/terms,php?ref=pf, and the General Information on Usernames, available at www.facebook.com/help.php?page=897.
