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If you go to Google and type in the word “paper,” the top result doesn’t have anything to do with traditional pulpy vellum. Instead, it links to the well-known app Paper, which allows you to sketch on your iPad just as you can in a traditional notebook.

But that might not be the case for long. Last week Facebook announced a new product that it plans to release on Monday called … wait for it … Paper.

The (non-Facebook) Paper app is made by a small Seattle- and New York-based start-up, FiftyThree, which is not too happy about Facebook’s new app. The company has gotten in touch with Facebook asking it to change the name of the upcoming app. On Monday FiftyThree released a public statement on its website asking Facebook to refrain from using the name.

“We were really surprised when we heard that Facebook was releasing an app called Paper,” said Georg Petschnigg, co-founder and chief executive of FiftyThree, in a phone interview. He said the app “Paper” has been trademarked in the United States and in several countries abroad. According to the United States Patent and Trademark Office website, the name “Paper by FiftyThree” was filed for trademark on May 11, 2012.



“We have, in writing, asked Facebook to refrain from using the name,” Mr. Petschnigg said. “But their response was that they apologized for not letting us know sooner, but as it stands, they are continuing with their launch.”

Facebook declined to comment.

The Paper app made by FiftyThree became very popular after it was released in March 2012, praised for its crisp user interface and lifelike brushes and pens.

Paper was so popular in 2012 that Apple named it the Best App of the Year. Paper has also been honored with awards from AIGA, IxDA, Communication Arts and TIME magazine.

There are other similarities beyond the app names. The music playing in the video from Facebook announcing its new Paper app sounds very similar to a video for another product by FiftyThree.

This could end up becoming a story of David and Goliath. Facebook now boasts more than 1.2 billion users, has 6,337 employees and is worth more than $150 billion. FiftyThree, in comparison, has seen its app downloaded double-digit millions of times and has 34 employees; although its valuation is unknown, its last round of funding was $15 million.

In the past Facebook has found itself on the other side of trademark disagreements; the social giant has threatened other companies that use the word “book” in their name or logo.

In countering the complaints from FiftyThree, Facebook might point out that its app is primarily about exploration. But the Facebook app is also meant for sharing and creating, as FiftyThree’s is.

“There’s a simple fix here,” Mr. Petschnigg and his co-founders wrote on the company’s website. “We think Facebook can apply the same degree of thought they put into the app into building a brand name of their own. An app about stories shouldn’t start with someone else’s story.” The post then says: “Facebook should stop using our brand name.”

In a phone interview, Mr. Petschnigg said he was going to wait to see how Facebook responded on Monday to decide what FiftyThree would do next. “We’re keeping all of our options open,” he said.