Facebookclone - Is it legal?

I am wondering how legal is it to use "similiar" template like Facebook? How about name? I cant of course use Facebook name but how about example Lovebook, adultbook, friendbook, businessbook????

I have seen there is many templates and modules which makes possible to have own '''facebook'' but seriously, how legal is that?

the term prefixed with book has not proprietary ownership.

so you can call your site anythingbook, and just so you dont end up with your heart broken, you are never going to create anything remotely close to facebook with the dolphin platform.

Facebook has sued people for having "book" in their name. I imagine also copying their look wouldn't help your case.

I don't like the idea of people trying to create clones of other sites. If anything, it reminds me of those cheap, knock-off electronics from Shenzhen.

I just can't see this as being true.

http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2010/08/facebook-owns-book/

I'm not saying such lawsuits would be successful, but they have happened. It also doesn't help your case when you not only copied the name, but the look.

I wonder if Facebook would sue me for developing a site named assbook.

Someone's way ahead of you.

they can sue, however, the ruling is what would be interesting. you cannot own a word unless it is a word, or combination of words that you have devised yourself. for that matter, you wouldnt be able to use anything that started with face, similarly myspace i guess you couldnt use anything that included the word 'my' or 'space'?

i know as is such, the term 'realtor' is a copyrighted term, but catepillar where it is a product brand, is also a creature that develops into a butterfly.

i think the issue is relevant here, in that you are looking to 'clone' facebook thus you have intent of impeding on their brand.

but to think they can win a ruling for the use of the word 'book' would be ludicrous.

interesting comments on the link provided here. most specifically will follow this. but as i stated, and have read from law books, you cannot own a word that is not directly created by you. so any word or combination of words from our public domain dictionary, and domain here has nothing to do with a domain name for the internet.

at any rate, absolute non-sense.