Microsoft Attempts To Shutdown MacSlash
The MacSlash Mac community site has been the subject of legal threats from Microsoft following the posting of an anonymous comment on the site which included the registration number for Windows Server 2003.
Remarkably, instead of contacting the site, Microsoft contacted MacSlash’s web host, Digital Forest with a take down notice for the entire site.
Fortunately, Digital Forest responded with a response which is best surmised as “go jump”.
The case highlights a potential risk for bloggers with open comment fields where anonymous users post illegal or illicit links or information.
It also demonstrated that Microsoft has a very, very, very long way to go in endearing itself to the blogosphere.
I’m glad to hear that the web host responded reasonably. It looks more like it was an automated letter from the article on the front page, but it certainly wasn’t fun or easy to read through, so I didn’t see the whole lot.
An interesting thoght though, didn’t Intel have a problem back with their x86 machines with all the cheap clones? Weren’t they forbidden from trade marking the number 486? I don’t see how this differs that? Surely a random string of characters can’t be intellectual property? I’m not any kind of authority on this, though, so feel free to call me a newbie.
In closing, I leave you with a piece of artwork I’ve penned, called “Fake Serial Number”. I give you full permission to reproduce it no your web site, but if anyone else uses it, look out!
Here it is:
FQL4B-M2P2P-W-164-ELEPHANT