Microsoft v. MikeRoweSoft
Microsoft v. MikeRoweSoft was a legal case in 2004. It was between the company Microsoft and a 17-year-old student from Canada named Mike Rowe. Rowe made a website called MikeRoweSoft.com. The name sounded like "Microsoft". Microsoft said this was too close to their company name and asked him to give it up.
Background
[change | change source]Since my name is Mike Rowe, I thought it would be funny to add "soft" to the end of it.
Mike Rowe made the website in 2003 for his small web design business. He chose the name as a joke, using his real name and adding "soft". Microsoft said this broke their trademark and first offered him $10 to give up the name.
Rowe asked for $10,000 instead. Microsoft then sent him a long legal letter. They said he was cybersquatting, which means using a name to get money from a big company.
Public reaction and deal
[change | change source]The story became popular in the news. Many people supported Rowe. His website got so many visitors that it went offline. Microsoft got bad publicity and later agreed to a deal.
Rowe gave Microsoft the website name. In return, he got:
- an Xbox with games
- a trip to Microsoft in Redmond, Washington
- help with Microsoft training
- money to pay his costs
- a subscription to a Microsoft developer program
He made a new website called MikeRoweForums.com. Rowe also gave most of the money people sent him to a children's charity called Canuck Place.
After the case
[change | change source]We take our trademark seriously, but in this case maybe a little too seriously.
After the case, Rowe sold the legal papers on eBay. Many people looked at the auction, but most of the high bids were fake. The real final price was $1,037.
Later, Microsoft said they may have been too strict. Some experts said Microsoft had to protect their trademark. Others said Rowe could have won because he was using his real name.