Microsoft V MikeRoweSoft

Cal · 20-01-2004 03:55PM #1

Check out www.mikerowesoft.com

Maybe this should be in Humour except that there is a very serious side to this.

Is Bill Gates going too far on this occasion?

Cal

Faust · 20-01-2004 04:09PM

Damn microsoft... But is his name actually mike rowe?

Cabaal · 20-01-2004 05:51PM

Originally posted by Faust
Damn microsoft... But is his name actually mike rowe?

From what I've read yeah thats his real name alright
MS are going to new lows with this one
:mad:

Agent Smith · 20-01-2004 05:57PM

/me vows to burn microsoft.....

AdMMM · 20-01-2004 09:36PM

ROFL.

Microsoft realy are sinking to an all time low, maybe soon they'l be like Metallica!!

passive · 20-01-2004 10:47PM

Bastards....we should all boycott micr...m....aargh...windows not responding....pc...catching fire.....avenge me!!!!

*fatal exception occured. user terminated*

gobby · 20-01-2004 10:56PM

my god. the poor guy. hes only 17!

UnrealQueen · 20-01-2004 11:05PM

Originally posted by |.Murderer.|
ROFL.

Microsoft realy are sinking to an all time low, maybe soon they'l be like Metallica!!

Oi! No need for that now!

Grom · 20-01-2004 11:20PM

unix tbh

Töpher · 20-01-2004 11:26PM

Originally posted by |.Murderer.|
Microsoft realy are sinking to an all time low, maybe soon they'l be like Metallica!!

LOL!

Quality!!! As hard as it may be to accept, they've still some catching up to do to be as low as Metallica!

rymus · 20-01-2004 11:53PM

Originally posted by gobby
my god. the poor guy. hes only 17!

What I'd like to know is.. what are MS expecting to gain in the way of $$ from this guy? If he's only 17 he'll be able to give them maybe $100 and a few lollipops

Capt'n Midnight · 20-01-2004 11:57PM

Remember Ronald McDonald - grand laird of the Clan McDonald ?

or Duncan Doughnuts

daveirl · 20-01-2004 11:59PM

This post has been deleted.

Gordon · 21-01-2004 07:05AM

If Microsoft didn't act like f*ckin borgs then they wouldn't have given Mike Rowe (!) all this media attention. So it'll turn out that after this the guy will get loads of business and won't sell his domain for anything less than 10 grand.

kudos to the guy, hope he gets loads of dosh from all this.

bizmark · 21-01-2004 07:17AM

you would have to be a right retard to misspell Microsoft "Mikerowesoft" wtf is the problem ??

jmcc · 21-01-2004 07:34AM

It is tough but in terms of protecting the Microsoft brand and trademark, it is the only thing that Microsoft could do. Microsoft have a history of aggressively protecting their brands - look at the Lindows fiasco for example.

Regards...jmcc

yellum · 21-01-2004 07:59AM

He purposely used that name, so he was in a way making money off that word play. When an entity worth billions happens to own the original name they can go overboard to protect it.

rymus · 21-01-2004 09:51AM

Originally posted by daveirl
Well actually, Microsoft just asked for the name back and offered $10 to compensate them. He then asked for $1000 from them, so they sent a lawyers letter. Fair enough in my book.

Yeah only spotted that afterwards. I wonder if macrosoft.com is still available... That'd surely throw off a few hundred thousand Texans, what with the accent and all.

Hyzepher · 21-01-2004 10:00AM

What about mycrowsoft.com - that must be worth a few quid.

Hyzepher

GreeBo · 21-01-2004 10:43AM

Originally posted by yellum
He purposely used that name, so he was in a way making money off that word play. When an entity worth billions happens to own the original name they can go overboard to protect it.

Ans what are you basing this knowledge on?
Yes he purposefully used it, as in it was a magical event that brought the website into existence.
Would you have preferred if he called it BillClintonSoft?:rolleyes:
But why would he, THATS NOT HIS NAME!!

Sheesh! :ninja:

Capt'n Midnight · 21-01-2004 11:00AM

Originally posted by daveirl
Well actually, Microsoft just asked for the name back and offered $10 to compensate them. He then asked for $1000 from them, so they sent a lawyers letter. Fair enough in my book.

No he didn't ask for X amount ..
He pointed out that the site was not for sale and that it was worth a lot more than the $10 they were offering.

Now of course the site is worth about $10,000

The offer of $10 is insulting - it would not cover his costs. - since there is content on the web page he can hardly be accused of cybersquatting.

Also since Microsoft spend about $5Bn on advertising each year (give or take) and have their spelling promentally on 90% of all desktop / home computers and have been involved in high profile court cases for ages, it is extremely unlikely that anyone who is likely to purchase goods or services from either is unlikely to be confused as which company is which.

Remember microsoft make nearly as much profit from breaking the law as they do from operating within it .. (Illegal practises have killed off alternatives to DOS / IE etc. Smartsuite etc. were killed off by having products with no copy protection, Gateway services for Novell meant you could bypass Novell's licencing etc. etc. etc.)

Doctor J · 21-01-2004 11:33AM

How about if you spoke with a Groundskeeper Willie Scottish accent...

www.meecrawsawft.com

Would the man be on your back then? Only a matter of time. Bastids!

Victor · 21-01-2004 03:00PM

Originally posted by redoxan
Would you have preferred if he called it BillClintonSoft

Last anyone heard Clinton was hard, not soft.

http://www.rte.ie/news/2004/0121/microsoft.html

Microsoft: Maybe we over-reacted
January 21, 2004

(13:43) Microsoft Corp has said it might have overreacted to the website of Canadian teenager Mike Rowe who had added the word 'soft' to his name and registered the address mikerowesoft.com.

A spokesman said 'we appreciate that Mike Rowe is a young entrepreneur who came up with a creative domain name, so we're currently in the process of resolving this matter in a way that will be fair to him and satisfy our obligations under trademark law.'

Microsoft's Canadian lawyers demanded that the 17-year-old change the name of his site, and said they would pay him $10 for his trouble.

Mr Rowe is demanding $10,000.

I actually think there is a marginal element of passing off - his name is presumably Michael Rowe, not Mike Rowe or Mike Rowesoft.

daveirl · 21-01-2004 07:27PM

This post has been deleted.

Crash · 21-01-2004 08:37PM

As far as i know from stuff i've seen they seem to be suing him on the grounds that he purposely bought the name for the purpose of cyber squatting and just to extort money from them. tbh that doesnt really seem to be the case as the kid is running a legit business out of it. i doubt they can get him on that case but they could probably get him under trademark.

Capt'n Midnight · 21-01-2004 11:47PM

Disagree strongly

90% of computer users have the word microsoft shoved in their faces many many times each day. And the microsoft sound Tada and the windows logo etc.. and the "designed for Microsoft Windows" logo on most new computers.

If M$ were to win this then Velux could sue them on the basis they were using windows first...

M$ have every right to defent their copyright / trademarks - they have no right to stop inventions and innovations - should they own Lindows too because it sounds a little similar ??? And if so should they then release Word on the basis that it sounds like wordperfect. ???

daveirl · 22-01-2004 12:12AM

This post has been deleted.

Doctor J · 22-01-2004 08:58AM

Originally posted by daveirl
The kid shouldn't have tried to take on MS when they asked for the domain back and offered him compensation.

They never owned the domain in the first place, how could they 'take it back'?

Granted the kid was being cheeky with the name, but $10 is a derisory offer, they should've covered all his costs (as he says, business cards, brand recognition etc) and just dealt with it quickly and fairly.

Cal · 22-01-2004 09:22AM

As I read elsewhere...

Why not go all the way and sue the parents for giving their child a misleading name?

Cal

Capt'n Midnight · 22-01-2004 11:35AM

All this stems from Hoover they lost their tradename because the term was in common use. So many corporation are paranoid 'cos of that. Coca Cola have people who do nothing all day except send notes out to people reminding them that Coke is a registered trademark (even when used in Novels & TV)

Maybe we should start using "microsoft" as a synom for software / bugs

as in - it's been microsofted (ie. the rules have changed)

Catsmokinpot · 22-01-2004 11:48AM

Originally posted by |.Murderer.|
ROFL.

Microsoft realy are sinking to an all time low, maybe soon they'l be like Metallica!!

rofl:D

Microsoft V MikeRoweSoft

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