Forum: OT


Subject: OT - Mike Rowe Soft - have you seen this...

SAMS3D opened this issue on Jan 21, 2004 ยท 47 posts


TygerCub posted Wed, 21 January 2004 at 6:19 PM

I read the article on CNN.COM and understand Mike Rowe created his website as a "clever" play on the Microsoft name. I think it was a smart memory device that utilized his own name in such a way that others would remember the site. I also understand Microsoft has to pursue trademark infringement. However, like most large corporations today, I believe their nitpicking pursuit is going way too far. If the guy's site was named Mikrosoft, Microzoft, or something similar with only one letter out of place, then I would stand behind Microsoft's cause because an MS consumer may confuse Mike's site spelling with the corporation's. However, when the guy uses his own name with its original spelling, there is no way a consumer is going to accidentally mistake him or his website for the larger company. It's just not feasible. Large corporations in both the business and entertainment industry try to monopolize everything and anything they think they can get away with. Microsoft is taking this guy's harmless bit of self-promotion and blowing it way out of proportion. Microsoft doesn't create websites, so Mike Rowe isn't stealing business from MS. He didn't use a spelling that could be mistaken for the larger corporation's name, so he isn't stealing their identity. He merely made a play on the sound of his name. A SOUND. An audio cue that would allow customers of his web-creation business to remember the URL. The law being what it is, this guy will probably have to give in to Microsoft. However, just because it's a law doesn't mean it is justifiable or right.