Mobile app Friendthem has announced its intentions to sue Facebook for its just-launched mobile feature, Find Friends Nearby, if it confirms certain "information."
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CEO of Friendthem Charles Sankowich says he told a senior Facebook executive about his idea in February, to use smartphones' GPS signal to track friends and potential new friends nearby.
"Friendthem is something special and we could be one of the most important apps for Facebook in a long time," Sankowich told Mashable. "When the world understands how important our message is, Friendthem could be one of the most important apps out there, so I don't know why they're going around us to do this."
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Following his dinner with the Facebook executive who Sankowich declined to name, the Friendthem CEO says the Facebook executive said, "I really like this idea."
Though Facebook says the idea came from a company hackathon and was originally called Friendshake, Sankowich doesn't believe the claim.
"They have to know about Friendthem unless they've had their heads in the sand," he says. "We're relevant, we're necessary and we're fun."
Friendthem's attorney Les Apple told Mashable, "We will proceed with a lawsuit as soon as we confirm the information we have, but we don't want to do things irresponsibly."
Available for Android and iOS, Friendthem connects to your Facebook account to find people near you. You can chose what information, such as your name, profile picture, hometown, or nothing at all, you would like to share.
According to its website, "Friendthem is a location-based mobile app designed to help you make connections with people near you. Use the Friendthem app to follow up on missed connections for work and personal."
Sankowich trademarked the term Friendthem in early 2011, half a year after launching. He has three additional trademarks pending for the slogans, "life happens, people connect;" "life happens when you connect;" and "you never know what a friend request can lead to."
Does Find Friends Nearby sound too similar to Friendthem? Let us know if you think Friendthem has a valid case.
Image courtesy of iStockphoto, ymgerman
This story originally published on Mashable here.
