Andre Yoskowitz
4 May 2013 23:26
Facebook and Timelines Inc. have settled their trademark case.
Timelines Inc., the owner and operator of Timelines.com, sued Facebook in 2011 after the company rehauled its profile pages as a "timeline." The site helps users create and collaborate on historical timelines. The company has registered trademarks for "Timelines," "Timelines.com" and its own "Timelines" logo.
The social networking giant, for its defense, claimed "timeline" was generic and therefore constituted fair use. Facebook then tried to get a summary judgement but was denied, meaning the case would have gone to trial very soon.
Without revealing financial details, Facebook said "We are also party to various legal proceedings and claims which arise in the ordinary course of business. Among these legal matters, in two cases, Summit 6 LLC v. Research in Motion Corporation et al., and Timelines, Inc. v. Facebook, Inc., we have reached agreements to settle the matters. The cost of settlement in each case, which is included in the accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements for the three months ended March 31, 2013, was not material to our business, financial condition, or results of operations."
Facebook is now free to continue using the term timeline.