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Microsoft threaten teenager


Guest Shirley_Crabtree
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Guest Shirley_Crabtree
Software giant threatens mikerowesoft

By Munir Kotadia, ZDNet UK

Microsoft is threatening teenage software writer Mike Rowe with legal action for registering and using the domain name mikerowesoft.com

Microsoft has set its lawyers onto a 17-year-old software writer from Vancouver, called Mike Rowe, because he has registered MikeRoweSoft.com, which the company said infringes on its trademark rights.

Mike Rowe, who registered the domain name in August 2003, received an email from Microsoft's lawyers three months later asking him to transfer the domain name to Microsoft. They also offered to pay him a "settlement" of $10 (£5.55), which is the cost of his original registration fee.

"I was surprised that they would offer such a little amount of money to persuade me to hand my domain over," said Rowe, who wrote back telling them that he had worked hard on the site and spent money printing stationery, but would be willing to give it up for $10,000. In response, he received a 25-page letter explaining why Microsoft's customers could get confused between his site and their site.

According to Rowe's Web site, which is straining to stay online because so many people are dropping in to wish him well, Microsoft accused him of setting up the site only because he had the intention to sell the domain for a large cash settlement. "This is not the case. I never thought my name would cause Microsoft to take this course of action against me. I just thought it was a good name for my small part-time business," said Rowe.

Microsoft was not immediately available for comment.

This one could get messy but it made me chuckle this morning :whistling:

Shirl.

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Guest Drovers Dog

:P

What he should do is word a letter to them, like this!!

Dear Sirs,

After careful consideration of your worthy Document of some 25 pages, and after due consideration of all the facts therein and acknowledging that there more facts notwithstanding, we have came to the consideration, that , perhaps, there is a peaceful resolution to this matter, whereby, without prejudce we admit that the sum of $10,000, may have been conscrewed as excessive, after due consideration, we will downgrade the sum to $5,000,000, just in the interest of fair play!

Your earliest response will be appreciated!!!

BTW I have no legal Qualifications!!!

:innocent: :D

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I always very dubious about this sort of thing ever since an acquaintance changed his name to Mark Spencer and set up a business selling underwear. Yes, his birth name was Spencer but it wasn't Mark.

I wonder if the birth name of this guy is Mike (or even Michael) Rowe or is it assumed?

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Dear Sirs,

After careful consideration of your worthy Document of some 25 pages, and after due consideration of all the facts therein and acknowledging that there more facts notwithstanding, we have came to the consideration, that , perhaps, there is a peaceful resolution to this matter, whereby, without prejudce we admit that the sum of $10,000, may have been conscrewed as excessive, after due consideration, we will downgrade the sum to $5,000,000, just in the interest of fair play!

Your earliest response will be appreciated!!!

very good letter but I think you said 'consideration' to many times and is 'conscrewed' a real word??? :huh:

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Guest Drovers Dog
I was asking about conscrewed.... not constrewed :rolleyes:

:P

Actually if you look up con then screwed you will see that they have many meanings, the meaning I applied was that the whole thing was one big CON!!!

If you noticed, even though it was said that the sum was downgraded from $10,000 it was actually increased to $5Million!!

That is exactly what some Lawyers do!!!

:innocent: :D

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