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29 March 2024

Will Facebook sue Dubai salon 'Facelook' for copyright violation?

Published
By Sneha May Francis

Popular social media network Facebook is reportedly looking into a possible copyright infringement case against a hair salon in Dubai.

The hairdresser in Dubai’s Discovery Gardens has come under the scanner for using a name and logo that’s similar to popular social media network Facebook.

The signboard outside the men’s salon is almost identical to that used by Facebook. It uses similar fonts in the logo and even adopts the same colour scheme – white lettering over blue background.

This case has been highlighted by international media houses, which claim that the Cupertino-based company is looking into whether a legal action is possible against the salon.

A spokesperson from the company told local media that they are “careful to protect the Facebook brand and we will look more closely at this particular case”.

When Emirates 24|7 contacted the salon, their official refused to talk.

“We don’t want to comment on this,” announced a stern voice, before ending the conversation abruptly.

This isn’t the first instance when local firms have generously borrowed names and logos that are identical to international brands.

Emirates 24|7 had earlier reported about two such cases. One was a clothing store in Bur Dubai, which had named itself after Europe’s budget retailer Primark.

Soon after this website highlighted it, the Bur Dubai store decided to rename itself ‘Mercato’.

Another grocery store had borrowed the name from UK’s retailing giant Tesco.

In both cases, the owners had claimed they weren’t aware of any copyright infringement issue.