Doppelganger On Facebook: What You Need To Know

Coming hot on the heels of 'bra color status updates,' 'doppelganger on Facebook' is the social networking site's latest fad.

The 'Doppelganger Week' premise is simple: Facebook users take part by switching their Facebook profile picture to whatever celebrity they think they resemble most.

Wondering, 'What celebrity do I look like?' If you need help finding your celebrity double, check out Face Double, which will help you find your celeb lookalike.

You can also check out examples of other people's doppelgangers on Facebook.

Before you go switch your Facebook photo to your celebrity double, take note: CNET warns that the Doppelganger Week might violate Facebook's terms of service.

In the company's terms of service, it says: "You will not post content or take any action on Facebook that infringes or violates someone else's rights or otherwise violates the law...We can remove any content or information you post on Facebook if we believe that it violates this Statement." So unless you took that celebrity photo yourself or bought the rights to it, it may be in violation.

Get the inside scoop on the Doppelganger fad in Huffington Post blogger Alex Grossman's interview with Bob Patel, the creator of 'Doppelganger Week.'

Patel explains, 'It all started when the guys at work started teasing me that I look like Tom Selleck. They're like, "Hey, Tom Selleck, what are you doing?" Or, "Yo, Tom Selleck, we're talking to you."'

Comments

[LeFlaneur]

10:05 AM on 02/04/2010

This was so last week of January.

[Marklar]

02:35 PM on 02/04/2010

I was just about to post something similar

[Schmaltzy the Golem]

01:25 PM on 02/03/2010

Flange schematic doppelganger week has begun. Post a profile picture of a Flange schematic that people say looks like you.

[amcreatives]

12:30 PM on 02/03/2010

I think they forget that the internet is public domain. They only have a case if they can prove the location the photo was taken from and that its in fact copyrighted. And the people with the copyrighted pics, should have a watermark to protect it....

and really, with the millions of facebook users, are they really going to go after every one of us because we want to be identified with a famous face for a week???

[billkarwin]

03:10 PM on 02/04/2010

The internet is not public domain. Scroll to the bottom of this web page. See where it says "Copyright © 2010 HuffingtonPost.com, Inc.?"

Distributing a photo without permission is still an infringement of its copyright. Whether you do it on the internet or anywhere else makes no difference.

Since 1989, a copyrighted photo is still copyrighted even without a watermark or copyright notation.

It's also still a violation of copyright even if you aren't making money from it.

It's probably true, however, that most Facebook users will get away with it.

[King Tut]

12:29 AM on 02/05/2010

I dissent and plead "fair use" is sometimes reasonable.

[thegirlnextdoor]

12:09 PM on 02/03/2010

Seeing your doppelganger is bad luck.
It makes me crazy when people use a big word they don't really understand instead of the simple word, which in this case might be "double" Who is your famous double?

[Cryostatic]

12:17 PM on 02/03/2010

Seeing one's own doppelganger isn't only bad luck, it's a death sentence, if you believe in that stuff.

[Glad2bCdn]

05:16 PM on 02/04/2010

that's what I heard too - something about universe's colliding or somesuch highly technical scientific chit - or maybe it's just magic?

[JoeGdr]

10:27 AM on 02/04/2010

I agree. It annoys me how they're mis-using the word as well.

I've seen my father's doppelganger twice. (Both instances occurred within a year of each other.) Nothing horrible happened to either of us, though ... at least not yet. Dun, dun, dun!

[liberalNmoderation]

10:53 AM on 02/03/2010

HA!
Well...that's pretty stupid...what are they gonna do, sue us?

[Aranxa]

10:40 AM on 02/03/2010

FB has to prove if it's me or not first.

[cabinetmaniac]

08:42 AM on 02/03/2010

What a stupid premise.

Are you actually saying that posting a celebrities picture could be illegal.

That is just stupid.

:-]

[JonathanTroy]

11:41 AM on 02/03/2010

If the photo is copyrighted, uploading a photo to which one does not own the rights is a violation of intellectual property law.

[cabinetmaniac]

12:25 PM on 02/03/2010

I don't care.

It is still stupid.

My avatar is probably copyrighted so sue me.

My understanding (which I admit could be wrong) is that unless I am using the image for profit there is such a thing as fair use.

:-]

[richardwb]

01:24 AM on 02/04/2010

"intellectual property" does not exist.

[Bushisgone]

12:27 AM on 02/03/2010

eeww thats her

She looks terrible

but some weight back on please

[SimonFromSydney]

07:48 PM on 02/02/2010

you serious? thats Jessica Alba, the sexiest thing alive!

[Bushisgone]

06:49 PM on 02/02/2010

Who is the lady with Kutcher

She is cute

[corsair1917]

12:11 PM on 02/03/2010

Jessica Alba.