Back in November of 2011, the German Merck discovered that the Whitehouse Station Merck (no relation, for the last 92 years!) had filched the keys to its vanity address on Facebook. A New York lawsuit was filed. Then silence, presumably as the parties negotiated a settlement.
I neglected to mention that about two weeks ago, a settlement was apparently reached, and the New York case was dismissed:
. . . .MERCK KGAA V. FACEBOOK INC
CASE DISPOSED | CONCLUDED | Friday, Mar 23, 2012. . . .
It would seem -- via a check of Facebook, this morning, that the resulting settlement provides that neither company will get the shorthanded (and thus coveted) "www.facebook.com/Merck" address. From now on, US Merck will have to use the much clunkier "www.facebook.com/home.php#!/MerckBeWell".A search on Facebook of the term Merck -- offers both pages as clickable icons, with clear graphics -- as to which is which.
In addition, the US Merck has summarily deleted all the commentary on its own Facebook page -- comments made by Facebook denizens, largely decrying US Merck's conduct in the 2011 squatting flap. It. has. all. been. disappeared. Move along, citizens -- nothing to see, here.
So it goes.
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