Facebook Parody Site Spoofs Facebook with Lawsuit
Lamebook is that website that documents funny things that happen on Facebook and will eventually be turned into an Urban Outfitter's coffee table book. Facebook threatened Lamebook with a trademark infringement lawsuit—but Lamebook decided to sue Facebook first.
Facebook will sue practically anyone who has a website with "book" in the title, so it was only a matter of time before it set upon Lamebook, what with the entire site premised on profiting from free content provided by Facebook users. (Only Facebook can do that, duh.) After Facebook sent Lamebook a cease and desist letter a few months ago, Lamebook decided to file a preemptive lawsuit on First Amendment grounds, claiming the site is obviously a parody, and they're not copying Facebook in order to literally launch a lame version of Facebook. (Because it already exists: It's called Facebook. HA.) They're seeking a judgment that would prevent Facebook from suing them in the future.
On the one hand, were huge fans of parody, so we're rooting for Lamebook. On the other hand—have you ever seen Lamebook? Not very funny. Maybe the First Amendment should only protect good parody. [CNET, TechCrunch]