Facebook files $50,000 compensation case against Bangladeshi firm

Social networking giant Facebook, Inc. on Sunday filed a $50,000 compensation case against a Bangladeshi firm, claiming violation of domain rights.

Facebook’s lawyer Barrister Moksadul Islam told the Business Insider that the local company is unlawfully using the same domain — facebook.com.bd — as his client.

He said the local firm, A1 Software Ltd, was sent multiple legal notices asking it to stop using the same domain name, but the firm did not respond, he added.

The matter took a dramatic turn recently after A1 Software Ltd announced to sell the domain for a whopping $6 million.

The firm on December 2008 bought a domain from state-run Bangladesh Telecommunications Company Limited (BTCL) for only Tk1,500, or approximately $18.

Industry insiders said such conflicts regarding domain names are common across the world.

"Usually, whoever holds the brand patent of the site is awarded the domain,” a senior official of a renowned IT firm said, seeking anonymity.

“In 2001, a similar issue was raised in the country about the domain of google.com.bd. But the local owner handed it over to Google back then without any exchange of money."

Asked about the matter, BTCL General Manager of Public Relations Morshed Mir Mohammed told the Business Insider that the company is yet to receive any official communication on the matter.

The contact details of A1 Software could not be found other than an email address on its website.