Facebook Sues Faceporn, Says It Tarnishes Brand

SAN JOSE, Calif. — It's a face off for a small online adult operator against giant online social media company Facebook.

Thomas Pedersen, of Bergen, Norway, has been sued by Facebook, which claims the Faceporn operator copied the mainstream social network to build an adult one.

Facebook, which recently filed suit against Pedersen at U.S. District Court in San Jose, Calif., asks the court to order Faceporn to hand over its web domain and all revenue to Facebook.

It claims Pedersen's site promulgates brand tarnishment, dilution or confusion.

Faceporn, until recently, described itself as "the No. 1 socializing porn and sex network," but now the site has been down since last week and, according to its home page, it soon will be relaunched. The home page features a glimpse of its new logo, which incorporates a face in the "F."

"Due to unforeseen circumstances, Faceporn is down until further notice," the site says. "We are doing our best to come back better than ever. We're currently working to launch a completely new version of the site, and it will be the best porn site the world has ever seen."

Facebook has filed another suit at federal court to prevent a social-networking site from using elements that it considers to be Facebook's property, including the words "book" and "face."

TeachBook was sued in August by Facebook, which claimed that its use of the word "book" violated Facebook's trademark.

Faceporn "blatantly copied the Facebook logo, site and Wall trademark."

Screen shots filed with the lawsuit show some Facebook-like elements, including Wall postings and a similar blue-and-white color scheme, according to screen shots filed in the suit.

Instead of poking, Faceporn users can apparently "send a flirt."

Pedersen could not be reached via email over the weekend; Facebook did not immediately respond to XBIZ for comment.

Related:  

Copyright © 2025 Adnet Media. All Rights Reserved. XBIZ is a trademark of Adnet Media.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited.

More News

XBIZ 2026 Conference to Debut All-New Company Lounges, Community Track

The event website for XBIZ 2026 is now live, unveiling details for North America’s largest adult industry conference, including two all-new show features: Company Lounges and a Community Track.

Mymember.site Integrates VR Functionality

Mymember.site has added virtual reality playback capability to its website management platform.

Texas Patti to Launch Fetish Platform 'EmpireDom'

Performer and content creator Texas Patti is launching a new platform for doms and fetish creators, EmpireDom.com.

Ohio AG Threatens Action Against 'Major' Adult Sites Over AV Law

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost announced today that his office is sending "notice of violation" letters to 19 adult websites for failure to comply with the state's recently enacted age verification law.

Chaturbate Announces 2025 Music Contest Winners

Chaturbate has revealed the winners of its 2025 music competition.

2026 XBIZ Exec Awards Pre-Noms Open With Debut of New 'Impact' Honors

XBIZ is pleased to announce that the pre-nomination period for the 2026 XBIZ Exec Awards, the adult industry’s premier career honor, begins today and runs through Oct. 14.

MYM Rolls Out New Traffic Features for German Creators

German platform MYM has launched a new traffic system for its creators.

Ukrainian Content Creators on Hook for Nearly $10M in Back Taxes

Content creators in Ukraine owe the equivalent of $9.3 million in back taxes, according to the country's State Tax Service.

Updated: European Patent Office Board of Appeals Revokes EIS GmbH Patent

The European Patent Office (EPO) Board of Appeals last week ruled in favor of pleasure brand LELO in the company's ongoing dispute with Satisfyer parent company EIS GmbH.

Eroutique Relaunches Site Through YourPaysitePartner

Eroutique has relaunched its official website through YourPaysitePartner (YPP).

Show More