Facebook VS ConnectU

This article is from BBC news published on July 07, 2007. The article discusses an ongoing battle for the right of Facebook networking connection. The creator of Facebook is facing fraud claims by three founders of ConnectU.

Mark Zuckerberg creator of Facebook has been accused of stealing ConnectU networking site idea while studying at Harvard. Founders of ConnectU (Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, and Divya Narenda) claim in collage Zuckerberg promised to finish writing computer code for the networking site. Instead he brushed then off and created Facebook.

ConnectU is created to connect networks online. Users create their own profiles, post pictures, write blogs and messages. Facebook has 31 million users against ConnectU 70,000 users. Searching through ConnectU site, I found that it was not user friendly and I found only 14 students from Kent State, including me, belong to this network, and only two have pictures. Last year Facebook turn down a 1 billion dollar from Yahoo for the rights. Facebook has expanded the user base of not just collage students but now high school student and with a valid email address. ConnectU is still based for collage students. Looking through Facebook page, the site also offers press releases, job positions (all in California), history and privacy claims.

Facebook has asked the Boston court judge to throw out the case. Zuckerberg is accused by Federal case of fraud and misappropriate of trade secrets. ConnectU has been asked to be given ownership of Facebook. Facebook lawyers have been stating that ConnectU has no evidence to support the allegations, only Zuckerberg’s ideas were significant enough to build the company.

What I think of this suit is that two rival networking sites and friends are at end meets. With different interest and behavior, they separated their different ways, only because one is successful now are the three other friends believe in their right of the site.