Facebook Court Defeat May Presage a Fall

Zuckerberg's attempted censorship 'a major fumble', says columnist

By Jason Farago, Newser Staff

Posted Dec 2, 2007 1:38 PM CST

(Newser) – Facebook has been handed a defeat in its attempts to censor the independent Harvard alumni magazine 02138, which published confidential court documents relating to founder Mark Zuckerberg's earlier work for a rival site. That's a good thing, says Kara Swisher of the Wall Street Journal, for whom the attempted injunction was "essentially a legal temper tantrum."

Facebook moved to quash 02138's publication of the documents under the pretense that they included personal information about Zuckerberg—a crushing irony, Swisher points out, now that the social networking site is under fire for precisely the same privacy issues. The defeat in court constitutes "a major fumble" for a company that just got a $15 billion valuation, and may make some investors think twice.

Facebook CEO and founder Mark Zuckerberg speaks to press and advertising partners at a Facebook announcement in New York in this November 6, 2007 file photo. The online hangout is mining friends' buying... (Associated Press)

Facebook.com's mastermind, Mark Zuckerberg smiles at his office in Palo Alto, Calif. in this Feb. 5, 2007 file photo. (Associated Press)

Facebook CEO and founder Mark Zuckerberg speaks to press and advertising partners at a Facebook announcement in New York, Monday, November 6, 2007. (Associated Press)

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

To report an error on this story, notify our editors.

More Newser Stories

Facebook and Rival Settling Origins Lawsuit

ConnectU had accused Zuckerberg of filching social network ideas

(NEWSER) - Pending lawsuits between Facebook and rival social networking site ConnectU will be settled, a source tells the New York Times. The founders of ConnectU accused Mark Zuckerberg of stealing their ideas back when both sites were in their infancy, and the Facebook CEO filed a countersuit against his former Harvard classmates. Terms of the settlement haven't been disclosed. More»

Duplicitous Zuckerberg Stalled Early Facebook Rival

Founder delayed project he was working on to benefit his site

(NEWSER) - Mark Zuckerberg stole the idea for Facebook from the founders of a rival site and intentionally stalled that site's development so his would prosper. That's the takeaway from an analysis of instant messages Business Insider says it “believes” the Facebook CEO sent while his site was getting off the ground in 2003 and 2004—and he was stonewalling the founders of the site that later became ConnectU, fellow Harvard students who had hired him to to develop their site. Is that “too dick?” he asked a confidant. More»

Winklevoss Twins Sue Facebook ... Again

After dropping appeal, new suit is filed

(NEWSER) - Well, apparently they're not packing it in quite yet: Just one day after dropping plans to appeal their $65 million Facebook settlement, the Winklevoss twins filed a new suit against the social networking site yesterday. This time around, Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss and business partner Divya Narendra seek to discover whether Facebook "intentionally or inadvertently suppressed evidence" during the original settlement proceedings, Reuters reports. More»

Judge: Winklevosses Can't Renege on Facebook Deal

Twins knew what they were doing when

(AP) - A federal appeals court ruled today that former Harvard University schoolmates of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg can't undo their settlement over creation of the social networking site. The 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals said that Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss were savvy enough to understand what they were agreeing to when they signed the agreement in 2008. The deal called for a $20 million cash payment and a partial ownership of Facebook—now worth $160 million because of Facebook's increased value. "At some point, litigation must come to an end," chief justice Alex Kozinksi wrote for the unanimous three-judge panel "That point has now been reached." More»

Winklevoss Twins Drop Facebook Appeal

They were going to ask the Supreme Court for a review

(NEWSER) - The Winklevoss twins are finally packing it in. Cameron and Tyler have dropped plans to appeal their Facebook settlement to the Supreme Court, reports Reuters . The twins say Mark Zuckerberg stole the idea for Facebook and owes them more than the $65 million cash-and-stock settlement they agreed to in 2008. Lower courts disagreed, however. In a federal court filing today in San Francisco, the twins said they decided not to ask the Supreme Court to weigh in after "careful consideration." More»

NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS

What is Newser?

Face it: there's too much news. At Newser, we choose the most thought-provoking and entertaining stories from hundreds of US and international sources and reduce them to a headline, picture, and two paragraphs. And we do it 24/7—you can come back morning, noon, night (and in between) for something new that matters. Read less, know more.

Learn more »

Partnering with: Slate

View Newser on the mobile website

Facebook Court Defeat May Presage a Fall

Zuckerberg's attempted censorship 'a major fumble', says columnist

OTHER STORIES ON OUR RADAR

Facebook • Mark Zuckerberg • First Amendment • ConnectU • Harvard • 02138 Magazine • Cameron Winklevoss • Tyler Winklevoss • Divya Narendra

MOST POPULAR STORIES

[ By Views ]

[ By Comments ]

More Newser Stories

Facebook and Rival Settling Origins Lawsuit

ConnectU had accused Zuckerberg of filching social network ideas

Duplicitous Zuckerberg Stalled Early Facebook Rival

Founder delayed project he was working on to benefit his site

Winklevoss Twins Sue Facebook ... Again

After dropping appeal, new suit is filed

Judge: Winklevosses Can't Renege on Facebook Deal

Twins knew what they were doing when

Winklevoss Twins Drop Facebook Appeal

They were going to ask the Supreme Court for a review

About Us

Site

Newser By Users

Community

Site Maps

Tools

More News

What is Newser?

Facebook Court Defeat May Presage a Fall

Zuckerberg's attempted censorship 'a major fumble', says columnist

Bookmark & Share

OTHER STORIES ON OUR RADAR

Facebook • Mark Zuckerberg • First Amendment • ConnectU • Harvard • 02138 Magazine • Cameron Winklevoss • Tyler Winklevoss • Divya Narendra

MOST POPULAR STORIES

[ By Views ]

[ By Comments ]

More Newser Stories

Facebook and Rival Settling Origins Lawsuit

ConnectU had accused Zuckerberg of filching social network ideas

Duplicitous Zuckerberg Stalled Early Facebook Rival

Founder delayed project he was working on to benefit his site

Winklevoss Twins Sue Facebook ... Again

After dropping appeal, new suit is filed

Judge: Winklevosses Can't Renege on Facebook Deal

Twins knew what they were doing when

Winklevoss Twins Drop Facebook Appeal

They were going to ask the Supreme Court for a review

About Us

Site

Newser By Users

Community

Site Maps

Tools

More News

What is Newser?