Why Facebook modules no longer contain the word "Facebook"...

[David Niry]

Some of you may have noticed that since yesterday, no Facebook related module on Addons contains the word "Facebook" in the title. Nor do the icons or the cover images, and of course, no use of the Facebook logo either.

 

Back in December 2016, Facebook's law firm, Kilpatrick Townsend, reached out to PrestaShop for a supposed copyright infringement, asking all addons developers to respect the Facebook guidelines at https://en.facebookbrand.com/guidelines/brand

 

These guidelines provide a very strict framework on how to use the Facebook logo and name. For example, you cannot modify the original "f" logo, you cannot use the wordmark version without permissions, when you use the logo, it has to be separated from the rest of the content, and if, and I quote:

 

"Sometimes you may need to refer to Facebook to discuss it, describe your presence on Facebook, display your Facebook web address, indicate that your product is integrated with Facebook, or describe your products or services as they relate to Facebook.

 

Do's

 

Do display the word “Facebook” in the same font size and style as the content surrounding it

Do capitalize the word “Facebook,” except when it’s part of a web address

 

Don'ts

 

Don’t pluralize the Facebook trademark, use it as a verb or abbreviate it

Don’t use the Facebook logo in place of the word “Facebook”

"

 

End of quote from their guidelines. Feel free to use the link above for more details.

 

To be honest, at that point, we were using their wordmark logo in our cover images, and indeed, it could have been misleading, suggesting that were official representatives of Facebook. So we complied.

 

But then they came back and said we cannot use the word Facebook at all, cannot use the Facebook logo at all. Even though that is NOT what the Facebook guidelines say. But, after much debate with PrestaShop, we decided that we would see what happens when we do that, so we complied again. Because going in a legal battle against a monster like Facebook with an army of lawyers is no small feat.

 

 

         

Before         12/2016      03/2017

 

 

Before

 

12/2016

 

03/2017

 

But NOW.... I have heard from one of my sources that one developer was asked to even remove the word Facebook from the module's short description and my initial internal response is "OVER MY DEAD BODY" !!!. That being said, we are waiting to hear back from their lawyers about this, but in the meantime, this is a topic to get your opinion...

 

1) After these 2 rounds of changes we already did, when you navigate to the Facebook and Social Networks category on PrestaShop Addons or use the search for "Facebook", do you still understand what is going on, and is it clear to you that the modules are for use with Facebook ? What signals you this ? Do you read the short description ?

 

2) If we were to remove the word Facebook even from the short description do you think you woudl still understand what the module is about ?

 

Thank you.

Edited March 30, 2017 by David Niry (see edit history)