In the early days of the social network website, instead of the automotive company setting up a fan page, fans were the ones setting up pages for the brands they loved. Sammy Wasem was one of them, starting a Ferrari fan page six years ago that went on to become one of the most popular car sites on Facebook.
Recently, Sammy Wasem filed a criminal complaint against Ferrari SpA, in which he claims copyright infringement because he lost control of the page. Ferrari has sued the Wasems, arguing that they misused the company’s trademark to advertise non-Ferrari merchandise, as well as for personal messages including invitations for Sammy’s 18th birthday.
Sammy Wasem was quoted saying, “They dared to take away a kid’s dream.They have no scruples.”
However, Ferrari has a different opinion. “The issue isn’t with Facebook or with our fans but with those who try to use Ferrari’s intellectual property to make money out of it,” said Stefano Lai, a spokesman for the carmaker. He added that Ferrari hasn’t been informed of a criminal complaint. In their defense, the Wasems say they made no money selling merchandise on the site.
Ferrari first approached the Wasems in March 2009 via an e-mail in which the company congratulated them for gaining more than 500,000 fans within a year of creating their Ferrari fan page. The fan page currently has over 13.3 million fans and is now controlled by the Italian company.
Source: Carscoop
