Good Grief

Yahoo! News - Microsoft Takes on Teen Over Web Site

I don't think anyone is going to mispell 'microsoft' and somehow get 'mikerowesoft' instead. Let the kid have his site...it's his name, and it doesn't impinge upon the giant's ability to do business, like, say, someone trying to register a microsoft.org or micro-soft.com might. You really can't be committing copyright infringement when you're using your own name...and any trademark usually deals with accompanying design. If he were trying to capitalise by using a version of the logos, that's one thing. But the name itself isn't worth trying to bully someone into giving up rights to something they've registered and paid for. You might as well go after any software or web-based company with micro- or -soft in its name, too...and that'll be expensive and will more than likely fail. Oh, and then again, maybe the company should see about getting BillGates.com, since someone is obviously hoping you'll type in that famous combination.

Sigh.

-- Followup: Check out the story on the outcome. The teen did in fact sell out...but quite intelligently, you must admit.