Build Date: Fri Jul 11 11:20:48 2025 UTC
Life's too short to go out with RenFaire people.
-- Mr. Bad
Diva and Goliath
2000-08-07 18:33:08
Microsoft, not satified with the public whipping they just received from the Justice Department, has seized an opportunity to get even more bad press. In April 2000 Microsoft launched a web site called DigitalDiva.com, aimed at people who are too stupid to use computers and enjoy reading content on a web site that talks down to them. It didn't seem to matter that the name DigitalDiva.com was already in taken in 1997, was trademarked, and was actively used by a group of women who work with computers and the internet.
Last Christmas eToys.com tried to stomp out the eToy.com artist's site, even though eToy.com existed far before eToys.com. The result? A net-wide scream of rage, people refused to shop at eToys, and lots of negative publicity for eToys.
The Digital Divas were founded in 1997. Through use and publication of that name, the group acquired trademark rights in the name, including the domain name digitaldivas.com where their website has been located since June 1998.
The Digital Divas web site features a 'zine where their members publish articles, tutorials and advice about computers and the Internet.
The Divas have sent Microsoft a "cease and desist" letter, asking M$ to stop using their name, but so far Microsoft has refused to stop using it. In fact, Microsoft hasn't even responed to the Divas at all, preferring to ignore them in the hope that they'll go away.
They're not going away.
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