A teenager who tangled with Microsoft Corp. over his mikerowesoft.com domain name said he is donating most of his legal defense fund to a hospice for children.
Mike Rowe, 17, wrote in a posting on his Web site that he received a 25-page letter from Microsoft in January threatening legal action for copyright infringement. Rowe said he received about $6,000 in donations but reached an agreement with Microsoft that month to pick a new name for his site, http://www.mikeroweforums.com. Microsoft agreed to cover the costs of changing to the new site and threw in an Xbox game console.
The teen took a poll to see whether he should refund the donations or make a charitable contribution, and his readers favored the donation. He decided to give $5,250 to the hospice, Canuck Place, and kept $750 to apply toward a university education.
Good for him.