James Delahunty
24 Nov 2011 6:37
German drug-maker will sue to get Facebook page control.
After World War I, Merck & Co was setup as an independent company in the United States, sharing the Merck trademark with Merck KGaA in different geographical areas. The change was part of Germany's reparations under the Treaty of Versailles.
Fast forward to the 21st Century, Merck KGaA is accusing Merck & Co of hijacking its Facebook page, and is threatening to sue to regain control. It has asked a New York judge to force Facebook Inc to turn over information on how the company lost the ability to administer the facebook.com/merck page.
Merck KGaA goes further to say that Faceook has not been cooperative, and even has been evasive while asked for help. "Because Facebook is an important marketing device, the page is of great value to Merck, and its misappropriation is causing harm to Merck," Merck KGaA said.
"It is not clear how that happened or who is at fault nor ... is Facebook providing clear information about what happened."