Large companies can frequently act out like an 800 lb gorilla, throwing its weight around. Microsoft, with its 40 billion dollar cash reserve, makes an awfully big Goliath.  Don't get me wrong, I like Microsoft. Heck, they enable me to make a living. I am an avid follower of MS user groups (averaging nearly 30 hours a month) and I'm even going to Orlando for TechEd! But every once in a while, David gets in a good shot, and that makes for a good story.

An article was recently published documenting the story of a legal battle between Microsoft and a college student over a cash value of $143.00. According to the article, a college student at the U. of Akron sold 2 pieces of unopened software on Ebay. Microsoft sued for "Microsoft has suffered and will continue to suffer substantial and irreparable damage to its business reputation and goodwill as well as losses in an amount not yet ascertained … [the] Defendant's acts of copyright infringement have caused Microsoft irreparable injury."  Rather than giving up, the student, David Zamos – a student attending Kent State U for a biochemistry degree, fought back and browbeat the MS lawyers into submission with a combined 37 court filings. 

http://clevescene.com/issues/2005-03-30/news/feature_print.html

For a similar, humorous incident, recall the legal threats made by Microsoft against 17 year old Mike Rowe for his domain www.mikerowesoft.com.  [Screenshot]

— Matt Ranlett

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