Facebook, the social site venture capitalist David Pakman has called “a significant challenge to Google,”  is the subject of both positive and negative news reports recently, though the good would seem to be far outweighing the bad.

AIM Group recently reported the social giant’s agreement to close down Beacon and speculation that the privacy lawsuit brought by Facebook users against Facebook would be settled. Financial Times’ Tech blog has reported that US district Judge Jeremy Fogel has dismissed the case, saying there were no factual allegations.

AIM Group has also confirmed  via Alameda County court records in San Jose, Calif. that on Sept. 2 Facebook filed a motion to dismiss trademark infringement charges brought against it by Power Ventures, Inc.  Facebook alleged that Power Ventures (dba Power.com) had not provided sufficient facts to prove monopolization or unfair competition. The court agreed, and dismissed the suit October 22.

Now Facebook has some users stirred up once again, as its newest feature, a box suggesting reconnections with former friends, unwittingly invites connections with deceased members whose profiles have not been taken down from the site since their passing. FoxNews.com talked with users who “felt weird” about deleting profiles of deceased friends they missed. Mashable’s Pete Cashmore discussed the “insensitivity of the algorithm.” We’re not sure what all the fuss is about, really. If friends and family of the deceased have kept profiles intact, how might Facebook have been expected to know, or assume, these people had passed away? Much ado about nothing, we think.