Judge Delays Facebook Hearing

The hearing regarding the alleged theft of the code at the heart of the Facebook social network has been delayed until August 8. It was originally scheduled totake place this week.   Judge Douglas Woodcock has given the extension so the accusers, three men who were at Harvard with Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg. They allege he agreed to work withthem to create the code for their social network site, ConnectU, in 2002, but later took it to begin Facebook.   The ConnectU team originally filed suit in2004, but it was dismissed earlier this year on a technicality, after which they immediately re-filed. The suit accuses Zuckerberg of  fraud and misappropriation of trade secrets, and asks forConnectU to be given ownership of Facebook. Judge Woodcock has instructed the lawyer for ConnectU to file a fresh plea that gives more facts to support their claims.   "Dorm room chit-chatdoes not make a contract," he said.