I don't think his intent was to "cash in." His intent was just to be funny. The only thing this kid is guilty of is being very, very naive. At 17, he's allowed to be.

Microsoft's lawyers were doing what they had to do. Trademark law requires that they aggressively protect their trademark. They don't necessarily have to win every case, but they do have to take action. Microsoft has since apologized and admitted they overreacted; if they're not upset at young Mike, why should anyone else be?

The fact that people are siding with Rowe isn't a sign of irrational hatred of Microsoft. It's just human nature. When a large corporation sics its lawyers on a kid, most people's sympathies are going to be with the kid. Warner Brothers found that out when it sued that 15-year-old who had a Harry Potter Web site. The public reaction was so negative WB backed off their whole "crackdown on HP web sites" campaign. The RIAA didn't back off, but their hearts must have sunk when they discovered their first target was a 12-year-old living in a public housing project.

The Seattle Post-Intelligencer has suggested that Microsoft give the kid a $10,000 college scholarship. Me, I think they should hire him...in their PR department. :-)