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I hope the kid wins.
Charles Mims
This system will self-destruct in five minutes. From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Jen -- Sent: Tuesday, January 20, 2004 8:16 AM To: 'The Sandbox Discussion List' Subject: [Sndbox] Microsoft Takes On Teen Microsoft takes on teen over domain
name VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) —
Mike Rowe thinks it's funny that his catchy name for a Web site design company
sounds a lot like Microsoft. The
software giant, however, is not amused. "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 user and
Grade 12 student in Microsoft and its attorneys have demanded that he give
up his domain name, the 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, Wash.-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 $10,000.
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
only asked for the $10,000 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 Sunday, "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." Jen
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