A judge says Chicago-based Timelines Inc. can sue Facebook for allegedly infringing on the smaller firm's trademark of the word ``timeline.''
Facebook asked a federal judge in Chicago to throw out Timelines' lawsuit because the word ``timeline'' is too generic to trademark.
But in a 23-page ruling posted this week, U.S. District Judge John Darrah disagreed.
He notes Facebook itself has fought to protect trademarked words such as ``poke'' and ``like.'' His ruling means a trial in the civil case can go ahead on April 22.
Timelines launched a website called Timelines.com in 2009, enabling users to track historical and personal events. Two years later, Menlo Park, Calif.-based Facebook launched a similar feature it called ``timeline.''
Facebook spokesman Andrew Noyes declined any comment on the ruling yesterday.
