Microsoft Agrees Settlement Over MikeRoweSoft.com

Posted by ryuzaki0 on Monday January 26, 2004 @06:49AM from the all's-fair-in-love-and-war dept.

GillBates0 writes "CNN's reporting that Microsoft Corp has settled with Mike Rowe, persuading the teenager to give up his domain name in exchange for costs of changing the existing domain to a new Web site, Microsoft certification training, an Xbox, an invitation to a technology festival at Redmond and some other gifts. Includes a choice quote from Microsoft spokesman Jim Desler: 'We wanted to do this in a way that's going to foster his interest in technology'. Mike had received a 25-page letter from Microsoft informing him he was committing copyright infringement, and threatening legal action, as reported earlier on Slashdot."

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This is a NON-STORY--here's why by bonch · 2004-01-26 09:01 · Score: 5, Informative

Once established, a trademark must be "policed" to maintain rights. If you allow your mark to become synonymous with others' goods or services, you run the risk that your trademark rights will be lost because the name may be deemed to have become "generic" and, thereby no longer identifies a source, but a good or service available from several sources.

From http://www.mit.edu:8001/activities/e-club/8.html