After getting hassled by Facebook, travel planner TripTrace goes live

TripTrac, an online travel planning service, went live today after a stint as a private, invitation-only test run. The service has had a rocky time of things until now, running into controversy even before it launched.

TripTrace was formerly called PlaceBook and had to change its name when Facebook’s lawyers confronted PublicEarth, Inc., the Menlo Park, Calif.-based company behind the service.

Rather than fight the social networking giant that is keen on targeting services with similar names, like Teachbook and Lamebook, CEO Michael Rubin decided to forgo the original name. Legal hassles aside, TripTrace is now ready to challenge the plethora of travel planning services already out there.

Get the full story at: Ventrue Beat