Facebook wants facial protection

Facebook has come a step closer to trademarking the word “Face” online. But the context appears narrower than the company hoped and it’s far from certain how many competitors it can crack down on.

The US Patent and Trademark Office has issued a notice of allowance, which is effectively a ruling that the trademark is valid. The next step is largely a formality: Facebook has six months to file a statement confirming it intends to use the trademark, at which point it should officially be granted and take effect.

The application actually dates back to 2005, when it was made by British company Faceparty. In 2008 Facebook paid to take over the rights to the trademark if and when it was granted.

The trademark simply covers the word Face rather than a specific logo or image. However, it is restricted to use in:

Telecommunication services, namely, providing online chat rooms and electronic bulletin boards for transmission of messages among computer users in the field of general interest and concerning social and entertainment subject matter

It’s notable that the categorization is so specific that it only affects direct rivals to the site. Had the trademark simply applied to “online” communication, there could have been a clash of the titans over Apple’s Facetime service. Indeed, one report notes there are already 34 trademark applications mentioning the word “face” in the more general online communications category.

The approval notice also specifically excludes any services ” primarily featuring or relating to motoring or to cars.” That likely means that an online company of that nature using the word “face” objected to the application, though nobody’s yet been able to spot it in USPTO records.





Awesome Super Mario Bros. Cupcakes [Pics]

Check out these awesome Super Mario Bros. cupcakes by the folks over at Montreal-based Clever Cupcakes. Too bad they don’t have any location listed on their website as I would have rushed over there right now to order a dozen for my very pregnant wife! :)

[Clever Cupcakes]

This is What you Get: Custom Windows / Linux Box vs. Mac

Notice how I avoided writing “PC” in the headline so that all you trolls can’t remind me that a Mac is in fact a PC. Now let the flame war begin!

Science Experiment: How to Make your Milk Come Alive [Video]

For this experiment, you’ll need a little bit of dish soap, some food coloring, and milk. That’s it! Now, you too can make your milk “come alive.”

The Listening Pirate

There have been several Pirate Party election candidates to date, but Jeff Coleman is notable for two reasons.

The Canadian appears to be the first to stand for a national election outside of Europe: he’s contesting the Winnipeg North seat in a by-election next Tuesday.* (A by-election, like a special election in the United States, fills a vacancy outside of the usual nationwide election cycle.)

He’s also going beyond the traditional Pirate Party platform of intellectual property law reform, a free internet, and the right to online privacy. Instead Coleman is appealing to local voters through Twitter, Facebook and YouTube to come up with policies on local issues, a technique the party describes as “a crowdsourced listening campaign.”

According to Coleman, the aim is to “provide a voice for all residents of the riding, irrespective of their political leanings and election results.” And to give credit, it’s certainly true that he’s talking to people who don’t exactly appear to be natural supporters of a technology-based party:

Indeed, if you assumed the Pirate Party was a purely high-tech operation, you’d be wrong. The campaign has also involved a very old-school, analog take on the “remix”:

Coleman isn’t the first person to stand for election on a platform of using tech to listen to the people. Denny de le Haye stood as an independent candidate in the United Kingdom elections last year with the sole policy of running online polls to decide how he should vote in each Parliamentary debate. It appeared locals didn’t go for the idea of closer involvement: he received just 95 votes.

* In the interests of balance, the full list of candidates in the Winnipeg North election is: Kevin Chief (New Democratic Party), Jeff Coleman (Pirate Party of Canada), John T. Harvie (Green Party of Canada), Julie C. Javier (Conservative Party of Canada), Frank Komarniski (Communist Party of Canada), Kevin Lamoureux (Liberal Party of Canada), Eric Truijen (Christian Heritage Party of Canada).