News Picks: Starbucks Big On Facebook, EarlyBird & Disney, Facebook Ownership Lawsuit

An overview of some of today’s ad/tech news not to be missed.

Starbucks Biggest Brand On Facebook
It’s official, coffee chain Starbucks is now the biggest brand on Facebook, as it now counts over 10 million fans. The first public figure to have reached that level is music artist Lady Gaga. InsideFacebook, which keeps statistics on Starbucks on the social platform, said the chain’s page is consistently one of the top 20 fast growing ones. The company “consistently has an update or promotion for every occasion,” it noted, which is probably why fans are flocking in.

Disney Studios First To Feed Twitter’s Earlybird
Speaking of promotions, Twitter has announced that Walt Disney Studios is the first company/brand to offer discounts on its fresh @earlybird account launched just last week. As anticipated, the offer is valid for followers in the U.S. only and gives a special “buy one, get one free” deal on tickets for “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice,” the new feature film from Walt Disney Pictures and Jerry Bruckheimer Films.

Facebook Steps Up To The Plate In Ownership Case
This is also about an alleged deal involving Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg. The deal was supposedly broken and therefore would entitle Wellsville, N.Y., resident Paul Ceglia to own 84% of Facebook, according to a lawsuit filed by the man. The Wellsville Daily first reported on the case, which already resulted in a temporary restraining order issued late last week by a state court judge in Allegany County, N.Y., banning the social site from transferring assets. Disputing the claim and asking the court to lift the ban, Facebook filed papers with the U.S. District Court in the Western District of New York, arguing that “It is clear even from the sparse filings in state court that [Ceglia] is not entitled to any preliminary injunctive relief in this case,” Mediapost reported. Let’s keep an eye on this “outlandish” claim, as Facebook tags it.