Microsoft Won't Go Soft On Mike Rowe

**l_p_4_7** · 01-19-2004, 12:46 PM

Read this.

**4th gen** · 01-19-2004, 12:50 PM

lmao

i wonder if it's real or not...

**FuNkY CaPrIcOrN** · 01-19-2004, 01:03 PM

It seems real.Went and checked out his site.Read what he Posted about it.Would not surprise me if microsoft did this.

The kid messed up by responding back to them in a E-Mail asking for $10,000.

That is going to hurt him.I know he has put alot of work in the site and what not.But Microsoft is going to use that against him.

I would like to see how this one turns out.

Or maybe this is all bullshit to get People to visit his Site.....like I just did.

**ultimatejester** · 01-20-2004, 01:33 AM

VANCOUVER -- Like any good fledgling businessperson, Mike Rowe knew he needed a catchy name for his website design company. Being possessed of a sense of humour and the cheekiness of a typical 17 year old and given his name, what better than to register his Internet domain name as mikerowesoft.com?

As in, but not quite, Microsoft Corp.

"Since my name is Mike Rowe, I thought it would be funny to add 'soft' to the end of it," the Victoria Grade 12 student said.

But the folks at the world's biggest software company aren't smiling. They've demanded he give up his domain name.

Mike, a self-described computer geek, registered the name in August. In November, he received a letter from Microsoft's Canadian lawyers, Smart & Biggar, informing him he was committing copyright infringement.

He was advised to transfer the name to the corporation.

"I didn't think they would get all their high-priced lawyers to come after me," Rowe said.

He wrote back, saying he'd put a lot of time and effort into his business and asked to be compensated if he was to give up his name.

Microsoft's lawyers wrote back offering him $10 US.

Rowe asked for $1,000.

Then, last Wednesday, he received an ominous, 2.5-centimetre-thick package with a 25-page letter accusing him of trying to force Microsoft into giving him a large settlement for his name.

"I never even thought of getting anything out of them," he said, adding he only asked for the $1,000 because he was "sort of mad at them for only offering 10 bucks."

Now he's going to sit back and see if the organization that registers domain names will take his name away from him.

No one from the law firm or Microsoft would comment.

**Robert00000** · 01-20-2004, 01:37 AM

It could be real because i went to the site www.MikeRoweSoft.com and there's nothing there, so the guy couldnt have made up the story to get publicity for his site.

muchspl2 · 01-20-2004, 01:40 AM

saw it over on fark, got a laugh of it, more info from here
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/loca...owesoft19m.html

heres the site
http://216.239.41.104/search?q=cache:FSp2E...tart=1&ie=UTF-8

VANCOUVER, B.C. — Mike Rowe knew he needed a catchy name for his Web-site design company.

"Since my name is Mike Rowe, I thought it would be funny to add 'soft' to the end of it," said Rowe, a 17-year-old computer geek and 12th-grade student in Victoria, B.C.

As in, but not quite, Microsoft.

But the folks at the world's biggest software company are not amused. They've demanded that he give up his domain name.

Rowe registered the name in August. In November, he received a letter from Microsoft's Canadian lawyers, Smart & Biggar, informing him he was committing copyright infringement.

He was advised to transfer the name to the Redmond-based corporation.

"I didn't think they would get all their high-priced lawyers to come after me," Rowe said.

He wrote back asking to be compensated for giving up his name. Microsoft's lawyers offered him $10 in U.S. funds. Then he asked for $1,000.

On Thursday, he received a 25-page letter accusing him of trying to force Microsoft into giving him a large settlement.

"I never even thought of getting anything out of them," he said, adding that he asked for the $1,000 only because he was "sort of mad at them for only offering 10 bucks."

He said family and friends are backing him, and a lawyer has offered to advise him for free.

He's also keeping his sense of humor.

"It's not their name. It's my name. I just think it's kind of funny that they'd go after a 17-year-old," Rowe said.

Company spokesman Jim Desler said yesterday, "Microsoft has been in communication with Mr. Rowe in a good-faith effort to reach a mutually agreeable resolution. And we remain hopeful we can resolve this issue to everyone's satisfaction."