Facebook sues Brazil's Power.com for copyright infringement

California: Facebook Inc., operator of the social-networking site, sued Brazil-based Power.com, claiming it is accessing and storing users' login information without authorisation.

Power.com, a website that allows customers to access social networks through a single site, started offering users the ability to retrieve their Facebook e-mails and other information from Facebook's computer servers without permission, according to a court complaint in California.

After receiving a warning from Facebook, Power.com officials said the company would implement Facebook Connect, a service that permits the exchange of proprietary data with third-party websites, by December 26, according to the complaint.

Power.com then said it would continue unauthorized access to Facebook's computers until it could fully implement the service, which could take five weeks, according to the lawsuit.
"Defendant deliberately circumvented Facebook's technological security measures in order to continue its unlawful practice," Facebook said in the complaint.

The lawsuit says Power.com is infringing Facebook's copyrights and trademarks and violating computer fraud and unfair competition laws. It seeks a court order prohibiting further access and unspecific damages.

Closely held Power.com, based in Rio de Janeiro, has 5 million registered users, according to its website.