# If you have a Facebook account name that corporation wants can they force you to give it up? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 1, 2010, 9:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-have-a-facebook-account-name-that-corporation-wants-can-they-force-you-to-give-it-up/555697 "2010-10-01T09:06:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2010, 9:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-have-a-facebook-account-name-that-corporation-wants-can-they-force-you-to-give-it-up/555697/1 "2010-10-01T09:06:26Z")
Let’s say your nickname was “Staples” and years ago you started a Facebook account in that name. Could Staples corporation force you to give it up without payment? Who would Facebook admins side with? ---
**Author:** ![Claude\_Remains](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/898d66/32.png) [@Claude\_Remains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Claude_Remains)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2010, 9:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-have-a-facebook-account-name-that-corporation-wants-can-they-force-you-to-give-it-up/555697/2 "2010-10-01T09:17:17Z")
First! and I think you meant to post this [Here.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=580173) ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2010, 9:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-have-a-facebook-account-name-that-corporation-wants-can-they-force-you-to-give-it-up/555697/3 "2010-10-01T09:34:35Z")
Yes, they can “force” you by offering you more money for it than you’d be willing to turn down. An offer you can’t refuse, so to speak. 😛 (And before anyone nitpicks: I know he said “without payment”. Obviously the answer is no) ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2010, 10:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-have-a-facebook-account-name-that-corporation-wants-can-they-force-you-to-give-it-up/555697/4 "2010-10-01T10:05:58Z")
> [@Claude\_Remains](#): > > First! and I think you meant to post this [Here.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=580173) OK Thinkenstein, I’ll bite. Facebook names are not the same thing as registered website names. I’m assuming that the ability to maintain a Facebook name is entirely up the discretion of Facebook, and I’m curious re what their policy is on this. Why is this hypothetical question about Facebook policy WRT to a corporation desiring a name that an individual already has in use “stupid”? ---
**Author:** ![Claude\_Remains](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/898d66/32.png) [@Claude\_Remains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Claude_Remains)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2010, 10:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-have-a-facebook-account-name-that-corporation-wants-can-they-force-you-to-give-it-up/555697/5 "2010-10-01T10:15:01Z")
I forgot to add the 😃 too my post. Relax. I’m gonna go right now and change my FB username to “The straight dope” I’ll keep you posted. JEEZ. ---
**Author:** ![Claude\_Remains](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/898d66/32.png) [@Claude\_Remains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Claude_Remains)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2010, 11:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-have-a-facebook-account-name-that-corporation-wants-can-they-force-you-to-give-it-up/555697/6 "2010-10-01T11:13:19Z")
Request for change of username “the straight dope” accepted. Whoopie! :rolleyes: Request for real name as “the straight dope” shot down. Your OP stands. ---
**Author:** ![Claude\_Remains](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/898d66/32.png) [@Claude\_Remains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Claude_Remains)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2010, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-have-a-facebook-account-name-that-corporation-wants-can-they-force-you-to-give-it-up/555697/7 "2010-10-01T12:32:17Z")
:smack:Yup, stuck that on in my own butt! Account is now deactivated. On second thought… I’ll change security and re-activate. ---
**Author:** ![Fuzzy\_Dunlop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/848f3c/32.png) [@Fuzzy\_Dunlop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fuzzy_Dunlop)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2010, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-have-a-facebook-account-name-that-corporation-wants-can-they-force-you-to-give-it-up/555697/8 "2010-10-01T13:59:19Z")
> [@astro](#): > > Let’s say your nickname was “Staples” and years ago you started a Facebook account in that name. Could Staples corporation force you to give it up without payment? Who would Facebook admins side with? Well this thread has become somewhat odd. According to Facebook’s Statement of Rights and Responsibilities: [QUOTE=[http://www.facebook.com/terms.php](http://www.facebook.com/terms.php)] If you select a username for your account we reserve the right to remove or reclaim it if we believe appropriate (such as when a trademark owner complains about a username that does not closely relate to a user’s actual name). [/QUOTE] ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2010, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-have-a-facebook-account-name-that-corporation-wants-can-they-force-you-to-give-it-up/555697/9 "2010-10-01T14:15:05Z")
> [@Claude\_Remains](#): > > First! and I think you meant to post this [Here.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=580173) As I think **Fuzzy Dunlop** provided as authoritative an answer as we’re going to get, I just want to say as a non-mod that this is not the sort of board in which “firsties” are the thing to do. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2010, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-have-a-facebook-account-name-that-corporation-wants-can-they-force-you-to-give-it-up/555697/10 "2010-10-01T14:36:16Z")
I don’t think Facebook account names have to be unique. They just have to be tied to a unique E-mail address. ---
**Author:** ![Fuzzy\_Dunlop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/848f3c/32.png) [@Fuzzy\_Dunlop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fuzzy_Dunlop)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2010, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-have-a-facebook-account-name-that-corporation-wants-can-they-force-you-to-give-it-up/555697/11 "2010-10-01T14:39:52Z")
> [@acsenray](#): > > I don’t think Facebook account names have to be unique. They just have to be tied to a unique E-mail address. They do have to be unique. They become your facebook profile’s URL. [Facebook.com/fuzzy.dunlop](http://Facebook.com/fuzzy.dunlop) (not real) would go to my profile. You can’t duplicate that without breaking down their system. If you don’t assign yourself one you get profile.php?id=123456789, but once you do it becomes your unique identifier. ---
**Author:** ![Mops](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mops/32/16494_2.png) [@Mops](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mops)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2010, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-have-a-facebook-account-name-that-corporation-wants-can-they-force-you-to-give-it-up/555697/12 "2010-10-01T15:28:21Z")
> [@Fuzzy\_Dunlop](#): > > > [@acsenray](#): > > > > I don’t think Facebook account names have to be unique. They just have to be tied to a unique E-mail address. > > They do have to be unique. They become your facebook profile’s URL. [Facebook.com/fuzzy.dunlop](http://Facebook.com/fuzzy.dunlop) (not real) would go to my profile. You can’t duplicate that without breaking down their system. If you don’t assign yourself one you get profile.php?id=123456789, but once you do it becomes your unique identifier. Yes, but **name** and **user name** are different concepts in Facebook. The former is the title of the profile page and needs not be unique, the other (if defined) shows up in the profile URL and is unique.