Microsoft's silly and embarrassing spat with Canadian teenager Mike Rowe ended this weekend, when the company announced a settlement in which it will help Rowe move the content from his http://www.mikerowesoft.com Web site to a new location on the Web. Rowe agreed to give up the Web site in return for a set of perks from Microsoft, including an Xbox video game library and a subscription to MSDN. "Once we were able to engage with Mike, we found him to be a bright young man with great potential," a Microsoft spokesperson said Friday. "Mike will soon decide on his new name and Web site, and we have agreed to help redirect any traffic to his new Web site to ensure he does not lose any business." Rowe had posted a note to his infamous Web site earlier that declared, "All along I just wanted to prove a point that the small guy can win against the giant corporations." But who really came out ahead is unclear. In return for Rowe giving up his http://www.mikerowesoft.com Web site (I still chuckle every time I see that name), Microsoft will cover the teenager's expenses, provide him with training on key Microsoft products, help redirect Web traffic to the new site (whose address has yet to be named), give him an Xbox video game console and the game library of his choice, give him a subscription to MSDN Universal, and invite Rowe and his family to the Microsoft campus in Redmond for an all-expenses-paid trip to a technology fair the company is hosting. Rowe originally asked Microsoft to pay him $10,000 for the site.
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Paul! For the love of God, can you please format your posts correctly??? One big clumped paragraph is not easy to read.
Pride January 26, 2004
An unwinnable case for Microsoft and it's not like they had the choice. A trademark owner must defend their trademark or face losing it. I think both sides profitted from this deal. Microsoft maintain their trademark and Mike Rowe gets a load of goodies which is nothing to be sniffed at. MSFT must be stinging at the bad PR, though, from tabloid news making them out to be the big faceless baddy out to bully the little martyr in his bedroom, ignoring that MS didn't have a choice with how trademark law works.
Wayne Hardman January 26, 2004
I'm so sick of this stuff.
It wasn't even spelled the same way. It just happened to be phoenetically the same.
Go on now Microsoft! Make them cease and desist too! (Do I get a free XBox and Windows XP Pro for telling you about these?)
Mike Rowe was his name. Anyone ignorant enough to spell Microsoft as Mikerowesoft needs to step away from the computer. For that matter, they probably shouldn't open a newspaper, magazine or book either.
Bill Gates may be the richest man in the world, but he isn't the most intelligent. MikeRoweSoft *does not equal* Microsoft.
Only an idiot could infer they were the same entities.
If the law is written in such a way as to infer that, the law just doesn't make sense to me.
John Yaya January 27, 2004
he should've asked for a million and firmly hold onto that request.
keith bonga January 27, 2004
While it's pretty clear that Mike Rowe would have won the case in a court of law (it is his name, after all) I think he came out better with this deal than if he would have fought it. After all if he had won the case in court all he would've gotten out of it would have been the site, and he already had that. The perks he got add up to more than the $10,000 he originally asked for. Bravo, Mike!
Bill Jameson January 27, 2004
Well he certainly lost on that deal. He compromised his ethics and morals to a overbearing monopolist that tries it's best to charge the most the market will bear, or even more than the market will bear, for unsecure buggy products. Mike, you need to look into Open Source. It is the future man! Microsoft will slowly die a long painful death as Open Source takes over.
Doug P
Doug Phillipson January 28, 2004
This may be the perfect opportunity for Microsoft to present a formidable opponent to IBM's new Linux prodigy mascot. :)
Steve-O January 29, 2004
Brilliant! That Mike Rowe will have a future.
Ian Forsey February 06, 2004
David grapples with Goliath. I wonder if Mike Rowe's offer to help people learn about Linux on his site affected their opinion and lawsuit? Seems MS doesn't like folks promoting alternatives. I notice they are going to "provide him with training on key Microsoft products." (That's a hint). Looks like a 'MikeRowe issue' to me...
Earl February 06, 2004
Hooray for this young man standing by his keyboard! Many may feel that once again the "Monster" has struck again. Surly this is a trade out but the boy had the guts to stick in there. Now...do you think there was ever a real problem? I think it's very amusing that a corporation like Microsoft would come down to low levels concerning this small issue. Hey Bill, where has your humor gone to?
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Pride January 26, 2004