Join our Waitlist for Expert Advice!

App Developer to Facebook: We Had 'Paper' First FiftyThree, which created its own award-winning app entitled Paper in 2012, may take legal action against Facebook for its much-ballyhooed new reader app of the same name.

By Geoff Weiss

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

If a competitor has its way, Facebook may have some serious rewrites to do on Paper, its much-ballyhooed new reader app.

Georg Petschnigg, co-founder and CEO of FiftyThree -- a mobile design firm that brought to market its own app entitled Paper in 2012 -- says he wants Facebook to stop using his brand name.

But the legal lines are blurry. While FiftyThree's original trademark claim was filed for "Paper by FiftyThree," reports TechCrunch, it applied for a "Paper" trademark on Jan. 30 -- the very day that Facebook announced its own venture.

Related: Facebook Impresses With Reader App 'Paper'

This is most likely because "Paper by FiftyThree" would have been far easier to claim than a term as generic as "Paper," trademark lawyer Victor Cardona explained.

"An app about stories shouldn't start with someone else's story," Petschnigg wrote on FiftyThree's blog. "What will Facebook's story be? Will they be the corporate giant who bullies their developers? Or be agile, recognize a mistake, and fix it?"

FiftyThree's Paper -- which can be used on iPads to draw and write with a variety of brushes, pencils and mixable color palettes -- was named Apple's App of the Year in 2012 and is currently utilized by 100 million people, it says.

Related: On Facebook's 10th Birthday, Mark Zuckerberg Reflects on the Long Journey of Creating a Social Media Powerhouse

Complicating matters is FiftyThree's numerous ties to Facebook, writes Petschnigg: "One of Facebook's board members is an investor in FiftyThree. We're a Facebook developer, and Paper supports sharing to Facebook where close to 500,000 original pages have been shared. Connections run deep."

While Facebook offered an apology for not having contacted FiftyThree sooner, Petschnigg says an apology is not enough. He told TechCrunch that the company is keeping its legal options open. But even with a reported $15 million in funding, it remains to be seen whether FiftyThree would have the resources and weight to take on an opponent as massive as Facebook.

Related: Facebook Is More Addictive and Widely Used Than Ever

Geoff Weiss

Former Staff Writer

Geoff Weiss is a former staff writer at Entrepreneur.com.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Business News

You Have One Month Left to Buy a House, According to Barbara Corcoran. Here's Why.

"If you are planning on waiting a year and seeing where interest rates go, you are out of your mind," Corcoran said.

Business News

Meta Fires Employee Making $400,000 Per Year Over a $25 Meal Voucher Issue

Other staff members were fired for the same reason, per a new report.

Business Ideas

63 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2024

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2024.

Thought Leaders

These 3 Trends Will Change What It Means to Be an Entrepreneur in 2025

Here are three entrepreneurship trends from the new Global Entrepreneurship Monitor report that are changing the landscape for the future.

Side Hustle

I Made $14,000 in 1 Week With a Spontaneous Halloween Costume Side Hustle — Here's How

Sabba Keynejad was in art school when he started to refine his entrepreneurial skills.

Franchise

The McRib Is Back, But Only at Select McDonald's — Here's Where to Find It

This scarcity is nothing new. In 2022, McDonald's announced a "Farewell Tour" for the McRib, suggesting that it might be the last time customers could get their hands on it.