A Canadian teenager who fought Microsoft Corp over his Internet domain name has sold documents and e-mails relating to the feud on eBay for C$1,386.83 (US$1,040).
Mike Rowe, 17, who lives in Victoria, British Columbia, had registered the domain name mikerowesoft.com to host his budding Web development business but quickly found himself the target of Microsoft lawyers who threatened to sue him over alleged copyright infringement.
He made international headlines when he refused to give up the domain name, turning down an initial offer from Microsoft of US$10 to cover the cost of registering the Internet address, but eventually settled for expenses incurred, free Microsoft certification training and an X-box video game system.
Microsoft also agreed to direct any traffic to his new Web site, mikeroweforums.com, and invited him to visit the company's Redmond, Washington campus.
Bids for a 25-page letter from Microsoft lawyers, an inch-thick book outlining their case to the World Intellectual Property Organization in Geneva and e-mails between Rowe and lawyers had reached as much as C$120,000 during the 10-day online auction, but those were dismissed as bogus.
"This is your chance to own a piece of Internet history," Rowe wrote in his eBay sales pitch. "This is the book shown on TV, Internet, magazines and talked about on the radio and seen by millions of people worldwide."
The winning bidder is known only as buyandsellyams.
In local newspapers, the teenager said he chose the domain name as a lark and never meant to embarrass Microsoft, which he thinks is a "great company." His father is just happy the dispute is over and Rowe can now focus on his studies.
For its part, Microsoft admitted it may have been a bit hard on the teen.
"We take our trademark seriously, but in this case, maybe a little too seriously," a Microsoft spokesman said. "Mike Rowe is a bright young man with great potential. We are pleased to work things out in a way that will help foster his interest in technology."
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source
CHINA REACTS: The patrol and reconnaissance plane ‘transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,’ the 7th Fleet said, while Taipei said it saw nothing unusual The US 7th Fleet yesterday said that a US Navy P-8A Poseidon flew through the Taiwan Strait, a day after US and Chinese defense heads held their first talks since November 2022 in an effort to reduce regional tensions. The patrol and reconnaissance plane “transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,” the 7th Fleet said in a news release. “By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations.” In a separate statement, the Ministry of National Defense said that it monitored nearby waters and airspace as the aircraft