legal question

handyman · 25-05-2006, 15:53

A good few years back either on nthw.com or more than likely on nthw.co.uk i-websolutions put a competion up to design web sites.

I entered a mock up called start.com and promptly lost

Though feed back from i-web was that it could be a good project to follow-up.

Start.com was a start portal with a number of features such as sms email news virus alerts etc.

Just noticed that in 2005 microsoft launched a demo portal www.start.com .

Do I have any legal comeback from this? I think If I can remember my url the project mock-up is still live and the threads on here will date it back to 2003.

Chimaera · 25-05-2006, 18:19

Possibly, but I'm not a legal eagle so I'm not much help.

Where's Mr Angry when you need him?

mrm1 · 25-05-2006, 19:31

What it would probably come down to is who can afford the better lawyers. No guess who will win there, no matter who is in the right.

Damien · 25-05-2006, 19:34

Quote:

Originally Posted by handyman

A good few years back either on nthw.com or more than likely on nthw.co.uk i-websolutions put a competion up to design web sites.

I entered a mock up called start.com and promptly lost

Though feed back from i-web was that it could be a good project to follow-up.

Start.com was a start portal with a number of features such as sms email news virus alerts etc.

Just noticed that in 2005 microsoft launched a demo portal www.start.com .

Do I have any legal comeback from this? I think If I can remember my url the project mock-up is still live and the threads on here will date it back to 2003.

What exactly would be the complaint? You did not seem to have owned the domain or put the finished site on the web.

. This would make it nearly impossible to claim and legal infrigments I would imagine.

Also a start portal is a common thing on the internet and thinking of the name 'start' is obvious so if there was a legal comeback Microsoft would have come up with the idea inderpendently. Copyright would be your only comeback but you do not own the domain or the idea of a start portal

DaggaDagga · 25-05-2006, 20:03

I think Microsoft have a trademark on the word "Start" in relation to computer software (don't know about websites), at least as far as the US goes. Yes I know it's mad. Worth checking on the US patent and trademarks website - it's all there.

So you wouldn't have got very far running start.com (even after you'd paid someone a couple of million for the domain name). MS's lawyers would have hunted you down!

Check all the above - don't take my word for it.

Damien · 25-05-2006, 21:24

You can own a copyrighted work from the moment you create it. However you cannot own a name or a domain unless you own it either the domain or trademarked the name.

There is no way you have a case on the name 'start.com' or start. If MS copyed your design for the start portal then maybe other than that I dont see much of a chance

willie · 03-06-2006, 16:59

Quote:

Originally Posted by handyman

A good few years back either on nthw.com or more than likely on nthw.co.uk i-websolutions put a competion up to design web sites.

I entered a mock up called start.com and promptly lost

Though feed back from i-web was that it could be a good project to follow-up.

Start.com was a start portal with a number of features such as sms email news virus alerts etc.

Just noticed that in 2005 microsoft launched a demo portal www.start.com .

Do I have any legal comeback from this? I think If I can remember my url the project mock-up is still live and the threads on here will date it back to 2003.

Perhaps you are referring to this one http://homepage.ntlworld.com/mark.jo...k/compo/idea1/

Date and time of this was 01-10-2003, 11:52

But doing a quick check the record for that doman was created 21st Nov 1997