Why all the free-stuff Facebook groups you're part of just changed their names
15 days ago
- #Community Gifting
- #Trademark Infringement
- #Buy Nothing Project
- Liz Cahill's Facebook gifting group, 'Buy Nothing No Rules San Francisco', with over 116,000 members, was shut down due to a trademark infringement claim by the official Buy Nothing Project.
- The Buy Nothing Project, founded by Liesl Clark and Rebecca Rockefeller in 2013, recently enforced its trademarks, leading to the takedown of many unofficial 'Buy Nothing' groups.
- The official Buy Nothing Project launched an app with a $54.99 annual subscription option, sparking controversy among followers who saw it as conflicting with the project's original mission.
- Cahill's group was reinstated after a week, and she renamed it 'Buy Not a Thing No Rules San Francisco' to avoid further trademark issues.
- Many other San Francisco gifting groups have also changed their names to avoid references to 'Buy Nothing'.
- The Buy Nothing Project updated its blog post to acknowledge the impact of the takedowns, coinciding with the rollback of federal SNAP benefits.
- Cahill and her co-administrators spend significant time daily managing their group, ensuring it remains scam-free and functional.
- Cahill believes the movement's core idea of giving and receiving free items transcends any single organization's ownership.