Microsoft vs. Microsoft. MikeRoweSoft is a legal dispute between Microsoft and a Belmont Canada student named Mike Rowe on behalf of the domain "MikeRoweSoft.com". Microsoft believes that their trademarks have been violated due to phonetic similarities between "Microsoft" and "MikeRoweSoft".
The case gained international press attention following Microsoft's hand-to-hand approach to the 12th-century part-time web design business and further support Rowe received from online communities. A settlement is finally reached, with Rowe granting domain ownership to Microsoft in place of Xbox and additional compensation.
Video Microsoft vs. MikeRoweSoft
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The domain name MikeRoweSoft.com was originally registered by Canadian student Mike Rowe in August 2003. Rowe created the site as a part-time web design business, choosing a domain because of phonetics by adding the word "soft" to the end of his name. Microsoft saw the name as a trademark infringement because of phonetic similarity with the name of their trademark company and demanded that he submit the domain. After receiving a letter on January 14, 2004 from Canadian Canadian law representative, Smart & amp; Biggar, Rowe replied for compensation for submitting the domain.
Microsoft offered to pay out-of-pocket outlay of Rowe for $ 10, the original cost of registering a domain name. Rowe retaliates by asking $ 10,000, then claims that he's doing this because he's "mad at" Microsoft for their initial $ 10 offer. Microsoft declined the offer and sent a stop and stop letter that included 25 pages. Microsoft accused Rowe of arranging the site to try to force them into a major financial settlement, a practice known as cybersquatting.
Maps Microsoft vs. MikeRoweSoft
Press coverage and completion
Rowe went to the press, created publicity for the case and gathered support for his purposes, including donations of more than $ 6,000 and free advice from a lawyer. At one point Rowe was forced to remove his site after overwhelming about 250,000 pageviews over a twelve hour period, only managed to regain the site once it turned into a higher-capacity provider. This case, described as the struggle of David versus Goliath by the media, characterizes Microsoft in a negative light. The resulting bad publicity was then described as "the chaos of public relations." The public appearance of support that Rowe received is credited with "softening Microsoft's stance," leading to its eventual completion.
At the end of January 2004, it was revealed that both parties had quit the court settlement, with Microsoft taking control over the domain. In return Microsoft agrees to pay all costs incurred by Rowe including creating a new site and diverting traffic to MikeRoweforums.com. In addition, Microsoft provides Rowe with a subscription to the Microsoft Developer Network, all trips costing to her and her family to Microsoft Research Tech Fest at their headquarters in Redmond, Washington, training for Microsoft and Xbox certification with a variety of gaming options. After online polling, Rowe donated most of his legal advocacy funds to a children's hospital and used the rest of the money for university education in the future.
Further developments
After settling a dispute with Microsoft, Rowe attempted to auction off the documentation he received on eBay's on-line auction site, describing it as "a piece of Internet history". The material includes one copy of the original 25 pages of stop and stop letters as well as a thick-inch WIPO book containing a copy of the trademark, web page and email between him and Microsoft. This auction receives more than half a million page views and deals rise to over $ 200,000. High bids are cheats and auctions are limited to previously approved bidders. After restarting from the $ 500 reserve price, the document eventually sells for $ 1,037.
Microsoft later admitted that they may be too aggressive in defending the trademark "Microsoft". Following the case suggested by Struan Robertson - editor of Out-Law.com - that Microsoft had little choice but to pursue the matter once it was revealed or they would risk undermining their trademark. This view is also supported by ZDNet, which notes that if Microsoft consciously ignores Rowe's site, the company will risk losing its right to resist trademark infringement in the future. Robertson argues that - there has been a legal process - Rowe will make a strong argument for maintaining his domain, since he uses his real name and does not claim to be affiliated with Microsoft.
See also
- Microsoft v. Shah
- Streisand Effects
References
External links
- Microsoft.com
- MikeRoweSoft.com - is now redirected to Microsoft.com.
- Reddit.com - AMA with Mike Rowe
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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