Facebook’s application to register FACE as a service mark

• In 2005, CIS Internet Ltd., the UK company behind the original Faceparty.com, applied to register FACE as a service mark for a number of different goods and services, including "Telecommunication services; operating of online chat rooms on a website; short message and text messaging and message receiving, sending and forwarding." and "Online dating services; dating services; computer dating services; provision of social and personal services online."
• The application has some technical problems, and a number of other companies had also applied to register FACE as a mark, so the service mark examiner and the applicant’s lawyer exchanged a bunch of letters.
• Meanwhile, the owners of FaceParty.com got into some trouble under the UK child protection laws. According to Wikipedia, the company sold itself to one of its founders.
• Later that year, Facebook bought the service mark registration application
• (The Trademark Office initially refused to register the FACE mark after the transfer, however, because it was confusingly similar to the previously registered service mark FACEPARTY. Facebook persuaded it to change its mind).