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Internet Facebook Sues German Knockoff Social Networking Site
Michael Barkoviak - July 20, 2008 3:04 PM

39 comment(s) - last by JoKeRr.. on Aug 4 at 8:23 PM

StudiVZ (Source: TechCrunch)

Facebook begins to take legal action against social networking web sites that copy the site's design

Attorneys representing Facebook have filed a lawsuit against a German-based social networking web site that has a user interface that is virtually identical to Facebook.

StudiVZ, the most popular social networking site in Germany, has 10 million regular users and also is the most popular networking site in German. Even though Facebook has a German language web site, it has had a hard time trying to get new users due to sites like StudiVZ and others. The English Facebook web site reportedly has as many as 80 million users spread across the world.

Facebook claims the slight changes were "nominal" and the German site simply replaced "Facebook's blue color scheme with a red one." Also in the lawsuit, the German site also copied the Facebook wall, groups, friend feed, and other features used in Facebook.

A quick glimpse of the web site does reveal that even from the sign-up page onward, it is almost 100 percent identical to the English version Facebook web site, except in a different color.

Facebook could launch lawsuits to stop at least nine other Facebook clone web sites to get shut down, with Xiaonei, operating in China, likely Facebook's next target. Xiaonei closely mimics Facebook and its user interface, and is the most popular social networking site in China.

The attorneys for Facebook have been busy as of late, after the site and its founder, Mark Zuckerberg, recently completed an intellectual property dispute that accused Zuckerberg of stealing the site's design from classmates at Harvard University. The founders behind the ConnectU social networking web site, which never really picked up users like Facebook, said Zuckerberg stole the idea for social networking from ConnectU after being hired to write code for the site.

With that legal matter closed, it's likely Facebook has set its sights back on a global expansion, attempting to launch web sites native to specific nations and regions.

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face who?

By audiomaniaca on 7/20/2008 6:07:09 PM , Rating: 2

What is facebook?

RE: face who?

By wordsworm on 7/20/2008 6:42:28 PM , Rating: 5

quote:
What is facebook?

It's basically a Friendster knock-off.

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RE: face who?

By oab on 7/21/2008 3:40:37 AM , Rating: 3

But better in various and important ways... somehow.

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Gah.

By StevoLincolnite on 7/20/2008 3:27:40 PM , Rating: 2

I've never been really into these kinds of websites, but when I took a quick glance at Facebook one day to find out what the fuss was about, I was pleasantly surprised that there is minimal user interaction in comparison to say an Instant Messenger or a Forum, I honestly don't see the attractiveness or the point in such things except expelling some time when you have nothing to do, or am I missing something?

RE: Gah.

By MrX8503 on 7/20/2008 3:34:12 PM , Rating: 2

The attractiveness of these social networks is that it gives Joe Shmoe his/her own web page and then puts that into a social network.

People love the fact that they can have something of their own online and interact with it with family/friends.

I just hope that page customization stays to a minimum considering 99.99% of myspace/facebook users have no web design sense. Which is also why I have prefer facebook versus myspace.

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RE: Gah.

By bodar on 7/20/2008 7:06:39 PM , Rating: 2

Exactly, my GF uses hers to post pictures/videos for friends and family -- since we moved 5000 miles away -- and they can send messages to each other. It's better than email/IM in that regard, since files are hosted for you and your friends are automatically notified of new content.

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RE: Gah.

By RMSe17 on 7/21/2008 8:21:45 AM , Rating: 2

They are great to use on a University campus

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Gut!!!

By Bender 123 on 7/20/2008 3:25:39 PM , Rating: 3

Gesicht Buch war immer nicht gut.

RE: Gut!!!

By Screwballl on 7/20/2008 7:51:36 PM , Rating: 3

quote:
Gesicht Buch war immer nicht gut.

Translation: Face book is still no good.

Reply: this is the reason pirating and illegal downloads are rampant across much of the world... they think it is ok to copy, imitate or steal content from other places to make it their own...

auf weidersehn StudiVZ

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Wow

By Ryanman on 7/20/2008 4:39:29 PM , Rating: 2

lol that's EXACTLY like facebook. Personally, I would have changed the UI a little bit (facebook's is far from perfect). As far as I'm concerned, if they got rid of Application Invites than I hope they win the case anyway.

Did not Apple sue Microsoft for the same sort of thing with windows??

By phxfreddy on 7/20/2008 11:57:33 PM , Rating: 2

Remember ?

Picture is not correct

By Frallan on 7/21/2008 5:24:15 AM , Rating: 2

In this case it should be the large German Schepard huntin (but not catching) the kitten ;)

All these posts

By FreeTard on 7/21/2008 11:51:34 AM , Rating: 2

Nobody mentions someones mom in a German Shiesse Movie?

didn't mean to bring up the old news:

By JoKeRr on 8/4/2008 8:23:51 PM , Rating: 2

but honestly, check this out:

www.xiaonei.com, I got a request to join for this site, and I realized it's a chinese version of facebook knock off.

Thats Totally Incorrect

By MikeInGermany on 7/20/08, Rating: -1

By MikeInGermany on 7/20/2008 5:38:07 PM , Rating: -1

I am America 20 something student that lives in Germany and that is total bs and your article has many inaccuracies. For example, for a long time Facebook ignored the German audience and would not disclose the reason why, and in fact, only came here after StudiVZ started get market share. In turn, the German market turned its back on Facebook. Additionally, Facebook's terrible privacy standard does not bode well here and has forced them to be further rejected. Now like the big business they are; they are attempting to attack the small guy and bleed them out in court. Studivz, is free and no add-on's cost money, unlike Facecrook. It is less of a company and more of a partnership. Its not even incorporated. It was made only in response to Facebook having no desire to enter into Germany, as protest by a group of IT students here. Personally, its an awesome idea, runs like all such social sites and Facebook can not claim that, because myspace had it first. And actually, it is less user friendly then Facebook, because of the nature of its creators, being well, to put in bluntly...amateurs. It is very different in many ways and ask anyone who can actually read German and they could tell you that, easy.

RE: Thats Totally Incorrect

By porkpie on 7/20/2008 6:57:20 PM , Rating: 3

Um, even if what you say is true, how does this make the article wrong? Just because Facebook "ignored the German market" doesn't give some other site the right to steal their design and UI. As for it being "different in many ways", why not list some and let us judge for ourselves?

Anyway, I sort of doubt your're an American student living in Germany. Unless you've been there since you were age 6 at least....your English is atrocious.

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RE: Thats Totally Incorrect

By wordsworm on 7/20/08, Rating: 0

RE: Thats Totally Incorrect

By murphyslabrat on 7/20/2008 7:50:30 PM , Rating: 5

Dude, it's called a typo. They happen, get over it.

Dumber, indeed...

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RE: Thats Totally Incorrect

By phxfreddy on 7/20/2008 11:52:53 PM , Rating: 1

What the hell??? User interface??? I thought that was something you could not protect. Its not like its rocket science!!!...in fact someone should sue Facebook for using hyperlinks since they did not invent them.

Its just plain dumb. Facebutt can only do this because they have a huge budget for lawyers to harass competitors. I hope they take a fall. Is nothing but bobagem anyway.

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RE: Thats Totally Incorrect

By PeteRoy on 7/21/2008 6:23:34 AM , Rating: 2

I agree, user interface should not be copy writable, facebook is a baloon waiting to pop.

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RE: Thats Totally Incorrect

By Dasickninja on 7/25/2008 2:37:33 PM , Rating: 2

The English language only requires one, "!" or, "?" per sentence.

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RE: Thats Totally Incorrect

By Quadrilateral on 7/20/2008 11:53:03 PM , Rating: 2

Well, he could be a U.S. citizen who wasn't born in the U.S., thus, making him an American. It's sad, however, most engineering & science graduate students in the U.S. are from other countries, although some/many receive U.S. jobs after graduation then apply for U.S. citizenship. His english is certainly better than what I usually hear on the city streets of Detroit or behind the counter of the various fast food establishments I frequent, where it's sometimes a real challenge to understand some of the staff behind the counter confirming my order of trans-fat laden fried food.

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RE: Thats Totally Incorrect

By JustTom on 7/21/2008 12:29:58 AM , Rating: 2

Most engineering PHDs are still awarded to American citizens, I think it is about 60-40.

I don't see why it is a problem if foreign students enroll in American universities. It is a sign that those universities are valued throughout the world.

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RE: Thats Totally Incorrect

By Frallan on 7/21/2008 5:21:39 AM , Rating: 2

Hmmm if its just the interface of the site - Facefook has no case since there is enough substantial changes (Red vs. Blue is enough here). If its the code as well - that might be diffrent. However due to legislation (whats allowed in US and not here in germany)there is bound to be enough differences for the german site to get off the hook.

Also where did Facefook file its complaints and which country has juristiction?

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RE: Thats Totally Incorrect

By Lakku on 7/20/2008 8:33:14 PM , Rating: 2

It looks almost exactly the same to me, judging by that picture. I immediately associated it with being a red facebook design. At any rate, cry a river about them being sued. Only silver lining here is that at least a European company/person/collective actually made a product to compete, rather than just cry and sue the crap out of people without making an alternative product.... as in EU vs. Intel and Microsoft.

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RE: Thats Totally Incorrect

By MikeInGermany on 7/21/08, Rating: -1

By MikeInGermany on 7/21/2008 8:07:52 AM , Rating: -1

Ok, so first to the retards that actually challenged if I was an American. You are honestly going to use that a point of argument? Is that how weak you defend yourself? Its a post on a terrible forum and last time I checked I was not writing novel. As you put it...its only a typo...its kind of like when someone use three dots such as...who cares!

Second, it is a terribly biased article and go to the bbc website and read a real version of this account. That was the point I was making. Facebook is totally evil, right up there with Google. So yes Studivz now a big company but not really incorporated by German standards and Facebook or US law has no barring here. Because its in the fcking EU! I mean, the site doesn't even have banner ads! It is really good and Facebook should instead take a page out of this book before they become the new AOL. Take the case of gmail vs googlemail, in Germany google fcking lost because this country actually does not piss all over their constitute and let big business win. This part of the reason in which is the reason in the first place facebook did not want to enter the market here. So Facebook decided to make comments and not enter. I have accounts on both services and the two services may have a similar layout but work differently.

BTW, you are the reason everywhere I go I have to listen to Anti-American BS, because typical Americans are so stupid and think the level of grammar in goddamn internet post somehow matter! Do you really think US universities are that good outside the Ivy league in the international scope of things?

Third, moron, and I mean...MORON. Sadly, I am American and I have only been in Germany for three years(while working on my fkin PHD). You have no idea what your talking about and I can only hope you are a child or something to that effect and not some 30something internet fanboy(btw, is fanboy hyphenated? Hey fanboy, you probably know, so is it?) who still lives at home and has no concept of the world around him.

Lastly, to everyone else with a reasonable sense of intelligence...I learned how to speak this language in the last few years and I have to tell you that this site, is really good. the whole reason they don't have an English version is like I said, it came out of a really cool protest to Facebook's multinational conglomerate approach to engaging in global business. Which can be seen by this latest attempt to just sue someone and bleed them out, which is likely to fair anyway. So far no papers have even been served to the the company because Facebook's only chance is to bring it to the WTO court. Basically, it has been long speculated in the news here that Facebook decided not to enter Germany because Facebook did not like Germany's Awesome privacy laws (you remember news don't you, like when you used to be able to turn on the tv and get truth and not have to go to John Stewart to get get an account of whats was going on in the world).

You have to remember privacy laws, we use to have them in America, you know before Hitler took over America in the reincarnated form of an idiot from Texas. Facebook only then came here because they had to and the students protested Facebook here for that one reason and stayed with their version of a social site, because the German's(though very strange and often direct people) actually get politically involved and don't just sit on they're @$$, when something or someone attempts to shanghai their freedoms. Perhaps, this comes from remembering what happens when you do allow this...ie Hitler in the form of a Texas Oilman or in their case just Hitler. Thank god I am not in America anymore because the woman are hotter here, the beer is better and the country actually has an educated populous, even if they can not figure out how to pronounce "v" or "w" correctly. So in short, I guess my new argument is shut up you unbelievably huge retard.

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RE: Thats Totally Incorrect

By MikeInGermany on 7/21/08, Rating: -1

By MikeInGermany on 7/21/2008 8:14:18 AM , Rating: -1

Ok, so first to the retards that actually challenged if I was an American. You are honestly going to use that a point of argument? Is that how weak you defend yourself? Its a post on a terrible forum and last time I checked I was not writing novel. As you put it...its only a typo...its kind of like when someone uses three dots such as...who cares!

Second, it is a terribly biased article, so what you should do is go to the bbc website and read a real version of this account. That was the point I was making. Facebook is totally evil, right up there with Google. So yes Studivz now a big company but not really incorporated by German standards and Facebook or US law has no barring here. Because its in the fcking EU! I mean, the site doesn't even have banner ads, how cool is that! It is really good and Facebook should instead take a page out of this book before they become the new AOL. Take the case of gmail vs googlemail, in Germany google fcking lost because this country actually does not piss all over their constitute and let big business win. This part of the reason why facebook did not want to enter the market here in the first place. So Facebook decided to make no comments and not enter. I have accounts on both services and the two services may have a similar layout but work differently.

BTW, you are the reason everywhere I go I have to listen to Anti-American BS, because typical Americans are so stupid and think the level of grammar in goddamn internet post somehow matters! Also worth noting, do you really think US universities are that good outside the Ivy league in the international scope of things?

Third, moron, and I mean...MORON. Sadly, I am American and I have only been in Germany for three years(while working on my fkin PHD). You have no idea what your talking about and I can only hope you are a child or something to that effect and not some 30something internet fanboy who still lives at home and has no concept of the world around him(btw, is fanboy hyphenated? Hey fanboy, you probably know, so is it?).

Lastly, to everyone else with a reasonable sense of intelligence...I learned how to speak German in the last few years and I have to tell you that this site, is really good. the whole reason they don't have an English version is like I said, it came out of a really cool protest to Facebook's multinational conglomerate approach to engaging in global business. Which can be seen by this latest attempt to just sue someone and bleed them out, which is likely to fair anyway. So far no papers have even been served to the the company because Facebook's only chance to win is to bring it to the WTO court. Basically, it has been long speculated in the news here that Facebook decided not to enter Germany because Facebook did not like Germany's Awesome privacy laws (you remember news don't you, like when you used to be able to turn on the tv and get truth and not have to go to John Stewart to get get an account of whats was going on in the world). Also, you might even remember privacy laws, we use to have them in America, you know before Hitler took over America in the reincarnated form of an idiot from Texas. Facebook only then came here because they had to for new market share after the US was fully saturated and they passed by myspace in numbers. So the students protested Facebook here for that one reason and stayed with their version of a social site, because the German's(though very strange and often direct people) actually get politically involved and don't just sit on they're @$$, when something or someone attempts to shanghai their freedoms. Perhaps, this comes from remembering what happens when you do allow this...ie Hitler in the form of a Texas Oilman or in their case just Hitler. Thank god I am not in America anymore because the woman are hotter here, the beer is better and the country actually has an educated populous, even if they can not figure out how to pronounce "v" or "w" correctly. So in short, I guess my new argument is shut up you unbelievably huge retard.

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RE: Thats Totally Incorrect

By MikeInGermany on 7/21/08, Rating: -1

RE: Thats Totally Incorrect

By MikeInGermany on 7/21/2008 9:00:45 AM , Rating: 1

Also, a friend mentioned to me that this is probably a move to force the asking price down because Facebook has ambitions to buy the site anyway.

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RE: Thats Totally Incorrect

By MikeInGermany on 7/21/2008 9:46:02 AM , Rating: 1

lastly, if you want to see a facebook knock off go here...
http://vkontakte.ru/

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RE: Thats Totally Incorrect

By DASQ on 7/21/2008 12:05:04 PM , Rating: 2

You're perpetuating the 'stupid American' image in Europe for God's sake! Stop it!

Seriously. You sound like a blithering idiot. I'm fairly sure I had more competently written short stories and essays about my first pet in Grade 4 than you do... while obtaining your damned PhD.

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RE: Thats Totally Incorrect

By MikeInGermany on 7/21/08, Rating: -1

RE: Thats Totally Incorrect

By BadAcid on 7/21/2008 2:42:54 PM , Rating: 2

"I only hear about other American's"

Also, Hitler Hitler Hitler Hitler Bush is a Hitler Hitler.

Get off your elitist high horse.

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RE: Thats Totally Incorrect

By Screwballl on 7/22/2008 2:05:27 PM , Rating: 2

Granted this info below is all bogus and pointless just as your posts are.. but it is made to prove a point... that this little copycat illegal imitation site will end up failing or be bought out by Facebook. Regardless of your incessant ramblings about self-delusional anti-American dreams in never-never land, this is about a site that illegally stole a copyrighted format and used it as their own, and will be punished because of it.

1) Unless you live here among the millions and millions of Americans on American soil currently... you have no clue.

2) Calling Bush the equivalent of Hilter is like calling the Holocaust camps a paradise vacation. Get over yourself. The current sitting president is the best damn man that has sat in that chair for the past three and a half decades. That doesn't mean he is perfect but he is doing what needs to be done within his power to help the American citizens. Anything else that people claim to attribute to him such as Iraq... guess what... Congress has to approve 99% of what the president does, so blame them. Having a liberal majority Congress is the one to blame, not an average Joe president.
The rest of the previous presidents have been useless whining crybabies or adulterous lying morons.

3) This whole "European arrogance" crap is something that will die very quickly as soon as any of them is in trouble... when they can't defend themselves against the invading grasshoppers and they request the US sends half a million troops to protect them... or something serious like another World War, you better hope we don't have a spineless moron with no military experience like Obama or isolationist like Ron Paul at the helm... you will see Europe become Hitler Juniors bitch as the US sits back and watches you die.

Your PhD must be in liberal arts or something equally useless to the world.. if you want to make a difference, stop sitting on your ass whining about a (superior) country and make a difference there. Get your law degree and work your way up to a political position where you can isolate Europe... then watch it fail and crumble from the inside.

Something else that is strange... my name is Mike and my genealogy dates back to the German Prince Wilhelm in the late 1800s

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