Facebook Tries to Trademark 'Face'

Facebook is completing an application to trademark the word “face.” The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office asked the social network to sign a form detailing how Facebook plans to use its exclusive word. If the trademark is completed, it would only apply to other websites that supply social networking, instant messages, or other services that compete with Facebook. It may seem like one of the site’s increasingly frequent power grabs, but legal experts say it’s not that unusual. "Facebook is right to lay legal claim to use of the word 'face' in the context of social networking sites and other specific computer-linked activities because they have built up a reputation in the name Facebook, of which arguably 'face' is the dominant element," one expert told the BBC.