Ms Sues 17 Yr Old For Name Usage

CplDavisCplDavis I hunt the arctic Snonos Join Date: 2003-01-09 Member: 12097Members
<div class="IPBDescription">Mike Rowe soft</div> Microsoft sues 17 year old kid for his name lol.


<a href='http://www.cnn.com/2004/TECH/internet/01/19/offbeat.mike.rowe.soft.ap/index.html' target='_blank'>http://www.cnn.com/2004/TECH/internet/01/1...t.ap/index.html</a>

he registered hi site under his name

<!--QuoteBegin--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> </td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin-->Rowe, a 17-year-old high school senior and Web designer from Victoria, has angered the software giant by registering an Internet site with the address www.MikeRoweSoft.com.

<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->

lol MS offers him $10 to give up his domain name and the kid asks for $10,000.
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Comments

  • ThePhilipsThePhilips Join Date: 2002-09-09 Member: 1302Members
    so , you can't use "Soft" anymore?
  • JezpuhJezpuh Join Date: 2003-04-03 Member: 15157Banned
    This dude owns <!--emo&:D--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif'><!--endemo-->
  • Nil_IQNil_IQ Join Date: 2003-04-15 Member: 15520Members
    edited January 2004
    I think i'm going to name my first born son google, just to **** people off.

    I can understand him being a little **** that they offered him ten freaking dollars, do they think he's five years old or something?

    GG Microsoft, you're really doing a good job with that whole public-relations thing by threatening legal action against a 17-year-old.
  • RellixRellix Join Date: 2003-02-15 Member: 13572Members, Constellation, Reinforced - Shadow
    Im sure the domain must have cost close to $10 but id ask for $50,000 and free copies of their new OS as they are realsed.
  • pardzhpardzh Join Date: 2002-10-25 Member: 1601Members
    That's pretty awesome, haha.
  • DOOManiacDOOManiac Worst. Critic. Ever. Join Date: 2002-04-17 Member: 462Members, NS1 Playtester
    This reminds me of when McDonald's sued some guy in Ireland (or somewhere) who was named McDonald and he had a store called "McDonald's Store" or something...
  • CplDavisCplDavis I hunt the arctic Snonos Join Date: 2003-01-09 Member: 12097Members
    <!--QuoteBegin--DOOManiac+Jan 19 2004, 01:35 PM--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (DOOManiac @ Jan 19 2004, 01:35 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> This reminds me of when McDonald's sued some guy in Ireland (or somewhere) who was named McDonald and he had a store called "McDonald's Store" or something... <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
    who won that one?
  • TestamentTestament Join Date: 2002-11-02 Member: 4037Members
    I hope Microsoft gets stomped for being so damn petty.
  • SirusSirus Join Date: 2002-11-13 Member: 8466Members, NS1 Playtester, Constellation
    After checking out his website, the only thing even relating to Microsoft is the name and something in his news section. Microsoft really overreacted on this one.
  • JezpuhJezpuh Join Date: 2003-04-03 Member: 15157Banned
    <!--QuoteBegin--Cpl.Davis+Jan 19 2004, 07:36 PM--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (Cpl.Davis @ Jan 19 2004, 07:36 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> <!--QuoteBegin--DOOManiac+Jan 19 2004, 01:35 PM--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (DOOManiac @ Jan 19 2004, 01:35 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> This reminds me of when McDonald's sued some guy in Ireland (or somewhere) who was named McDonald and he had a store called "McDonald's Store" or something... <!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
    who won that one? <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
    I hope the guy won.
  • DreadDread Join Date: 2002-07-24 Member: 993Members
    edited January 2004
    <!--QuoteBegin--JezPuh+Jan 19 2004, 09:01 PM--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (JezPuh @ Jan 19 2004, 09:01 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> <!--QuoteBegin--Cpl.Davis+Jan 19 2004, 07:36 PM--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (Cpl.Davis @ Jan 19 2004, 07:36 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> <!--QuoteBegin--DOOManiac+Jan 19 2004, 01:35 PM--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (DOOManiac @ Jan 19 2004, 01:35 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> This reminds me of when McDonald's sued some guy in Ireland (or somewhere) who was named McDonald and he had a store called "McDonald's Store" or something... <!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
    who won that one? <!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
    I hope the guy won. <!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
    Who doesn't. Everyone hates big corps <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif'><!--endemo-->

    ...especially when they start stomping on the regular people :/
  • CobyCoby Join Date: 2002-11-11 Member: 8210Members
    Has the site been taken down already? I bet the big black guys in suits came over to poor Rowe's front door and his nowhere to be seen again... <!--emo&:angry:--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/mad.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='mad.gif'><!--endemo-->
  • taboofirestaboofires Join Date: 2002-11-24 Member: 9853Members
    It might have just been hammered. Somehow I doubt he has a lot of bandwidth to throw around.
  • Nemesis_ZeroNemesis_Zero Old European Join Date: 2002-01-25 Member: 75Members, Retired Developer, NS1 Playtester, Constellation
    And this, gentlemen, is what happens when you don't watch your lawyers <i>very</i> carefully.
  • DubersDubers Pet Shop Boy Edinburgh, UK Join Date: 2002-07-25 Member: 998Members
    <!--QuoteBegin--Nemesis Zero+Jan 19 2004, 08:03 PM--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (Nemesis Zero @ Jan 19 2004, 08:03 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> And this, gentlemen, is what happens when you don't watch your lawyers <i>very</i> carefully. <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
    God the MS lawyers must love their job, making cases against completly insignificant issuses just so they can charge ludicrous fees. And the wost thing is MS will pay up every time.
  • GrillkohleGrillkohle Join Date: 2003-12-23 Member: 24695Members, Constellation
    That is just ridiculous.
  • MajinMajin Join Date: 2003-05-29 Member: 16829Members, Constellation
    Comprox,
    OMG eh, thats Office Mike, you know Office Mike from Canada.
    Holly Jeez Eh, I can't Believe that MicroSoft is going after Office Mike Eh.

    LOL <!--emo&:D--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif'><!--endemo-->
  • Cereal_KillRCereal_KillR Join Date: 2002-10-31 Member: 1837Members
    edited January 2004
    Do scots get sued by Apple? MacIntosh is scottish. I remember a pub called MacIntosh where I went.

    <- supports Mike Rowe because Microsoft is just pushing it too far. I mean god, they're suing a 17 year old for being named Mike Rowe and having a website.

    edit: I can't connect to <a href='http://www.mikerowesoft.com/' target='_blank'>http://www.mikerowesoft.com/</a> is it already taken down?
  • BurncycleBurncycle Join Date: 2002-11-24 Member: 9759Members, NS1 Playtester
    MS should have paid the kid the just to hush this up, now the world is on his side and MS looks like the big bad company

    That 25 page letter probably cost the company more than the 10k to settle. If they hadn't made that laughable $10 offer, he probably would have just taken it.
  • DY357LXDY357LX Playing since day 1. Still can&#39;t Comm. England Join Date: 2002-10-27 Member: 1651Members, Constellation
    I hope he wins the sympathy vote and Microsoft do
    give a large settlement.
  • TestamentTestament Join Date: 2002-11-02 Member: 4037Members
    <!--QuoteBegin--Cereal_KillR+Jan 19 2004, 08:50 PM--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (Cereal_KillR @ Jan 19 2004, 08:50 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> Do scots get sued by Apple? MacIntosh is scottish. I remember a pub called MacIntosh where I went. <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
    A Macintosh is a type of apple. As in...the kind you eat.
  • DarkDudeDarkDude Join Date: 2003-08-06 Member: 19088Members
    Heh, this reminds me of the Polo clothing company suing the game of Polo because they had quote, "a suspiciously simmilar name and logo." Yes, and <i>everybody</i> knows that Polo clothing came before the game. <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif'><!--endemo--> God I hate big companies and their ignorance...
  • TransmissionTransmission Join Date: 2003-03-12 Member: 14456Members
    edited January 2004
    From the cache of his web page:

    <!--QuoteBegin--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> </td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin-->:: NEWS :: January 15/2004 :: Microsoft Corporation vs MikeRoweSoft
    My story starts on November 19th , 2003.

    I received an email from Smart & Biggar, Microsoft's Canadian lawyers, informing me that I have been committing copyright infringement against Microsoft. They told me that I must transfer my domain name over to Microsoft as soon as possible. I was baffled by this email, yet thought it was funny at the same time. Microsoft was going after a 17 year olds part time business that he put a lot of time into just because it has the same phonetic sound as their company.

    I responded to this email saying that I was not ready to give up my domain name since I had put so much time and effort into establishing my name, getting my business cards out and posting my services on the Internet. If I were to give up my domain, I would lose all the time and effort I had put into it. I requested that they offer me a settlement of some sort to help with me losing my business. A few days later I received an email back from them telling me that they would give me all of my out-of-pocket expenses for the domain name, which came to be $10USD. I was surprised that they would offer such a little amount of money to persuade me to hand my domain over to Microsoft. In response to this recent email, I sent one back to them describing how much work I have put into my business and that the domain was worth at least $10000. They refused to give me anything more than $10USD so I proceeded to ignore their most recent email. I didn't hear anything from them after their last email.

    Yesterday, January 14, I received a package from the lawyers' office FedEx Priority Overnight. Inside I found a book over an inch thick with a 25 page letter explaining to me that I had all along had the intention to sell my domain name to Microsoft for a large cash settlement. This is not the case, I never thought my name would cause Microsoft to take this course of action against me. I just thought it was a good name for my small part-time business. In this letter it explains that Microsoft's customers could get confused between my page and theirs, which doesn't make any sense since Microsoft doesn't design websites. They do, however, sell a program called Microsoft FrontPage, which they say can cause some confusion between me making websites for my customers and them selling a program to make websites to their customers. I think it is just another example of a huge corporation just trying to intimidate a small business person (and only a 17 year old student at that) to get anything they want by using lawyers and threats. It reminds me of the Starbucks thing against the little coffee shop in the Queen Charlotte Islands.(http://www.cbc.ca/storyview/CBC/2003/04/17/Consumers/Haidabucks_030417) <!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->

    Favorite Part..

    <!--QuoteBegin--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> </td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin-->In this letter it explains that Microsoft's customers could get confused between my page and theirs<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->

    So that's how dumb MS thinks its customers are. <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif'><!--endemo-->
  • Ashaman_JoeAshaman_Joe Join Date: 2003-11-11 Member: 22559Members, Constellation
    <!--QuoteBegin--Transmission+Jan 19 2004, 08:05 PM--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (Transmission @ Jan 19 2004, 08:05 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> Favorite Part..

    <!--QuoteBegin--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> </td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin-->In this letter it explains that Microsoft's customers could get confused between my page and theirs<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->

    So that's how dumb MS thinks its customers are. <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif'><!--endemo--> <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
    Thats great. <!--emo&:D--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif'><!--endemo-->

    And makes me embarassed to use Windows. <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif'><!--endemo-->
  • Cr-ckCr-ck Join Date: 2003-09-14 Member: 20873Members
    <!--QuoteBegin--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> </td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin-->In response, he received a 25-page letter explaining why Microsoft's customers could get confused between his site and their site.
    <!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
    "OMZ)R I R DOWNLOAZ)R MY WINDOZ UPDATZ5 AT MIKEROWESOFT.com!!111"

    <!--QuoteBegin--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> </td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin-->Microsoft accused him of setting up the site only because he had the intention to sell the domain for a large cash settlement.<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
    His name is Mike Rowe - So what. I swear with all the money Microsoft has they should copyright M,I,C,R,O,S,O,F and T. Maybe even W,N,D,W,(for windows).

    "Thank you for using M©I©C©O©S©O©F©T© W©I©N©D©O©W©S© XP©"

    Microsoft recently shutdown <a href='http://www.everywhere-msn.com/' target='_blank'>http://www.everywhere-msn.com/</a> (now at <a href='http://www.e-messenger.net/' target='_blank'>http://www.e-messenger.net/</a> ) -

    Which was a OK shutdown, but MIKE ROWE SOFT! COME ON!
  • MulletMullet Join Date: 2003-04-28 Member: 15910Members, Constellation
    the site dosnt work for me <!--emo&:(--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/sad.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='sad.gif'><!--endemo-->
  • LegionnairedLegionnaired Join Date: 2002-04-30 Member: 552Members, Constellation
    <!--QuoteBegin--Mullet+Jan 19 2004, 11:36 PM--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (Mullet @ Jan 19 2004, 11:36 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> the site dosnt work for me <!--emo&:(--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/sad.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='sad.gif'><!--endemo--> <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
    Maybe it got slashdotted. That pretty much mops up sites.
  • ZiGGYZiGGY Join Date: 2003-01-19 Member: 12479Members
    yeah there needs to be a community website supporting mr rowe in his fight aganst evil (dun dun dun) maybe mikerowesoftexcel.com?
  • GadzukoGadzuko Join Date: 2002-12-26 Member: 11556Members, Constellation
    The site seems to be back up.
  • CreepieCreepie Join Date: 2003-02-19 Member: 13734Members
    I like the design of the site, although some of the links are dead.

    The mistake that Mike Rowe made was asking for money. Although M$ offered $10, he asked for $10k in return (albeit as a joke apparently). Now M$ can say he's registered in bad faith.
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