Microsoft takes on teen's site MikeRoweSoft.com

CNN.Com / Technology ^ | Monday, January 19, 2004 Posted: 9:25 AM EST (1425 GMT) | Associated Press

[Bobby777]

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.

"Since my name is Mike Rowe, I thought it would be funny to add 'soft' to the end of it," said Rowe.

[Archangelsk]

The losing company should then change its name to the proper Slovak, Budjovice.

[sit-rep]

made the kid famous in 60 seconds...

[LowOiL]

Sounds like this kid has a good case if he wanted to persue it. If Microsoft had wanted that name so bad, they would have registered it sooner. It was up for grabs for a long time probable and this kid took it. Fair game and he has a good case in that his name is Mike Rowe.

Hang tough kid, I would demand the 10,000 plus legal fees.

[Bush2000]

Bill Gates is a greedy piece of liberal filth. His liberal pig wife knows why he called it Microsoft!

How Gates spends his money (or interacts with his wife) is none of our business. I'd rather keep it that way.

[69ConvertibleFirebird]

Has MIcrosoft already gotten to him? I tried going to his page and get:

The page cannot be displayed
The page you are looking for is currently unavailable. The Web site might be experiencing technical difficulties, or you may need to adjust your browser settings.

[Major_Risktaker]

Are you saying Microsoft doesn't
have the right to protect it's trademarked name?

I guess if you speak "Astro" M$ has a trademark.

I use MikeRoweSoft Elroy...

[Terry Mross]

Remember "formica" counter tops? Doesn't exist anymore. It's now laminate counter tops. Formica went away.

[VRWC_minion]

The most interesting thing in the article is Microsoft's Canadian lawyers

[VRWC_minion]

Are you saying Microsoft doesn't have the right to protect it's trademarked name?

We have a time honored tradition of allowing parodies. This kid's site is certainly a parody.

[ErnBatavia]

I know a local plumber named Roe, who's sole employee is his wife....he's toyed with the idea of renaming his company Roe Roe Rooter.

[The Red Zone]

M$ could grant him a license to use that variation of the name.

[The Red Zone]

How Gates spends his money (or interacts with his wife) is none of our business.

Two different issues. It is quite a valid concern what kind of financial activities our purchases support. And if a company's executives are immoral, we may care as well.

[thedugal]

MS has to protect their copyright and trademarks. If they don't go after some cases, or try to differentiate between a kid playing a joke and IBM going for a sucker punch, they will lose on many legal fronts. You have to show that you are protecting your trademark in order to keep it. If MS offered this kid $10K for the name, there would be 10,000 more kids tomorrow knocking on their door with names that sound like windows or microsoft. The fact of the matter is, the kid used the microsoft name to increase the popularity of his site.

[aruanan]

Microsoft company spokesman Jim Desler said Sunday, "Microsoft has been in communication with Mr. Rowe in a good faith effort to reach a mutually agreeable resolution."

Microsoft's Mutually Agreeable Resolution: "We get whatever we want and he gets whatever we want him to get."

[Feiny]

His site is back up & accepting contributions for his defense fund!

[longjack]

Germany's 'Spiegel-Online'

longjack

[BykrBayb]

Some might say, that's capitalism at work.

Not if they know what capitalism is. It doesn't mean that just because your business is more powerful than mine, you can force me to change the name I've been rightfully using for 40 years.