Microsoft will appear in California Superior Court on Monday, February 26, 2007 to ask the Hon. Barbara M. Scheper to exclude any reference of its name from court proceedings that pit the computer giant against FutureLink Online, Inc. — a former ISP founded by four NJ entrepreneurs allegedly wiped out of business by Microsoft.
“This is the multi-million dollar lawsuit Microsoft is trying to hide from the public,” explains FutureLink Online, Inc. (FutureLink) co-founder Dave Durko, in the press release
Not listed on Microsoft’s website as current litigation, the case (FutureLink Online, Inc., cross-complainant vs. Microsoft, Inc., cross- defendant, case no. PC019071) was brought in 1997 and is scheduled to be heard in early March 2007.
The case, which through its decade-long journey through the courts has included two successful appeals on behalf of FutureLink, involves Microsoft’s $503 million purchase of WebTV (now MSN TV) and stems from Microsoft’s alleged “tortious interference” with a FutureLink contract and theft of FutureLink’s internet subscriber base — two actions which lead to the demise of what was one of the fastest growing ISPs at the time that provided internet access to customers across the country via a national infrastructure.
“This is more than a modern-day David vs. Goliath. It’s a story of how corporate cannibal Microsoft stole the American Dream from us and then dragged us through 10 years of litigation,” according to FutureLink founder Emile Farina, who credits life coach, friend, and mentor Tony Robbins for what Farina calls his determination “to right this wrong and finally have our day in court.”
Press release: http://sev.prnewswire.com/computer-electronics/20070223/NYF06123022007-1.html
MacDailyNews Take: Microsoft would never do anything like what’s described above, would they?
While the enemy of my enemy is my friend there’s no getting around the fact that Tony Robbins is a certifiable assclown.
WOW.
What a surprise. Monopolysoft arrogantly doing what ever it thinks it can get away with.
Speaking of, no buzz of the new WOW ads that ran during the Oscars last night? hadn’t seen them before.
Sadly, this is how it works of everyone. Lie cheat and steal and be successful.
Go get ’em, Shallow Hal.
I’m siding with Microsoft against this Tony Robbins-cult-member jackass.
Any other press releases you can reprint today, MDN?
Speaking of infrastructure, did you fart so hard you ended up in another zip code?
Hey Surly,
How successful are you. The man’s a self-taught, self-made millionaire, and has helped thousands, maybe millions of people. What have you done?
The actions described are part of standard Micro$oftopoly’s SOP, especially back in the day. It has the fingerprints of everybody’s favorite chair thrower all over it.
haha, the press can’t get any better for MS.
On another note,
I find it hilarious that the iPhone teaser ad (all 2 seconds worth of iPhone face time) got more press and made more noise than the entire launch of Windows Vista.
“than the entire launch of Windows Vista.”
There was a product launch for Vista?
Huh. I must have missed it.
just passing through,
Steve Balmer is worth more money than many of us could ever dream of. And I’m sure he’s made lots of people rich too, but we all think he’s an assclown. So what’s your point?
Monetary success does not indicate a good, wholesome, moral or fair person.
@Average: you missed the launch? here’s a photo for you:
While I worked for an ad agency that shall remain nameless, I once sat at a meeting where Microsoft execs literally stopped the proceedings to celebrate the news of their successful dismantlement of a competitor by hiring key members of the development team.
And I mean, joyous celebration, with hi-fives and all kinds of trulty inappropriate remarks being thrown all over the place. On the agency side, we couldn’t believe the amount of unbridled prejudice against competing companies demonstrated by these people.
Haven’t purchased a single Microsoft product ever since. Good riddance.
@Jerry T –
I’m not quite sure how Tony R deserves your label of being “bad, unwholesome, immoral and unfair”, or even the earlier moniker…
Did some of your hard-earned cash depart in the direction of one of Robbins’ “surefire” programs that nets him his millions? If that’s the case, who is the greater fool?
Heroin says “I’m siding with Microsoft against this Tony Robbins-cult-member jackass.”
It makes me laugh so hard when people show how ignorant they are…
Bill Gates (that Godless bugger!) didn’t just kill the American dream, he killed all our dreams! And he stood over them and pissed on them as they lay dying!
Wow. Can you imaginie what the damage will be if M$ loses? They will need to pay for Future Link’s 10 years of litigation, pay them $millions for stealing their internet subscriber base, and then pay for loss of future earnings. Kewl!
M$ represents the ROTTEN side of american capitalism in its pure form.
[The man’s a self-taught, self-made millionaire, and has helped thousands, maybe millions of people.]
Yes, L. Ron made loads of money, but helping… What. Uh, sorry. Wrong ‘The Leader’.
BTW, let’s ask Becky how helpful Anthony is, hmm? WWAI, let’s ask “Polly”, Sara, and Mary Sue how helpful L Ron was.
Remember, no one person has all the answers — except me!
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• Microsoft must not only win, but it NEEDS to kill competitors.
• Bill Gates will be seen as the only computer authority.
• Microsofterians number 88% of the world population. While the MacJihad only account for 2%.
• Who has the better Koolaid? Leader Gates or Jobs?
In the interest of full disclosure, Microsoft should really change its name to LCS (Lie Cheat Steal), Inc. I’m glad that Bill Gates
has decided to give away some of the billions he has stolen during his ruthless tenure as head of Microsoft; but giving it away
doeesn’t absolve him of all blame for the tactics he used to get so much money in the first place.
Tony Robbins uses a Mac. Can’t be all bad, now can he?
“Microsoft would never do anything like what’s described above, would they?”
I don’t know, let’s ask the people who once worked for Stac Electronics.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stac_Electronics
BuriedCaesar,
When did I label Tony Robbins as anything? I don’t even mention him in my post.
I was merely replying to the person droning on about Tony’s success that success is not necessarily an indicator of goodness, wholesomeness, morality or fairness, i.e. Steve Balmer.
Re-read what I typed…or not.
BTW, I haven’t given him any money. I think his head is too big already.
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JerryT,
The article states the the little guys were using the self-respect tools they aquired through a TR self-improvement course to not give up in the fight against the evil empire. I just wanted to know how Surly Duff was qualified to call a person like TR an assclown, just a simple question.
If Microsoft deserves a name change, it should be…
Dewey, Cheatem, and Howe
Let me “drone” a little more. What is an assclown anyway? I’ve heard of asswipes and assholes, but never an assclown.
“Let me “drone” a little more. What is an assclown anyway? I’ve heard of asswipes and assholes, but never an assclown.”
Michael Bolton is a no-talent ass clown.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0151804/quotes
Samir: No one in this country can ever pronounce my name right. It’s not that hard: Samir Na-gheen-an-a-jar. Nagheenanajar.
Michael Bolton: Yeah, well at least your name isn’t Michael Bolton.
Samir: You know there’s nothing wrong with that name.
Michael Bolton: There was nothing wrong with it… until I was about 12 years old and that no-talent ass clown became famous and started winning Grammys.
Samir: Hmm… well why don’t you just go by Mike instead of Michael?
Michael Bolton: No way. Why should I change? He’s the one who sucks.
An assclown is like an asshat only scarier because they think they are amusing.
On the plus side, they can make complex balloon animals from carefully practiced sphincter control.
Bill Gates had more than A LITTLE help in putting together Microsoft — BOTH of his parents are/were WELL connected in society circles (read:money) in Seattle — Bill’s mother was known to solicit funds from the monied folks — Bill’s father is a well-connected law partner at a large Seattle law firm — BOTH of their contributions were critical in the growing of Microsoft.
Niffy
JPT,
The term ‘assclown’ came about in a thread [Sept 2,/03?] at AtEaseWeb while discussing Radiohead’s Vancouver 2003 show.
A girl was complaining that, even tho’ she was close to the stage she couldn’t see anything. A second girl responded to the first girl that she too had difficulty seeing ‘because there were too many tallassclowns’.
A natural query, quickly arose.
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Too many tall-ass clowns? Or, too many tall assclowns?
Unfortunately, that thread disappeared shortly after. Apparently, AtEaseWeb had a server crash.
It’s a good thing, I guess. No evidence of a ‘brave’ poster threatening to ‘club a girl like a seal’.
And then there’s the ever present “ass-monkey”, who is distinguished from an assclown by the armpit itching and feces throwing.
We need a class action against Microsoft on behalf of the world, for holding back the entire computer industry by decades. Luckily Apple is back to take us into the future…
Just a side comment, or question, rather.
Has it ever been determined exactly what MS’ WOW stand for?
Could it be….Windows Only World
From urbandictionary.com:
assclown:
A person who is laughable and detestable at the same time.
Usually pretends to be a know-it-all, often
enhancing their stories, knowledge,
experience and every thing in between
with pure bullshit.
Mr. Reeee: Oops. Do you realize how many MDN posters you just described?
Especially the angry, political assclowns. You know who you are.
I’m rooting for FutureLink on this one. Time to take down the nazi party of Microsoft once and for all
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DudeMac…
Hey don’t disparage the Nazis by comparing them to Microsoft.
The Nazis had a sense of style. Microsoft has none!
(For the humour-challenged… that was a JOKE!)
Re: Dudemac
I hereby invoke Godwins Law!
Miro$oft is just one example of all that is wrong with corporations in the US®
JonK,
Indeed.
Futurelink. What a joke. I new David Durko back then. The guy was nothing more than a conman. “one of the fastest growing ISPs at the time that provided internet access to customers across the country via a national infrastructure.” Yeah right. He had a rinky dink closet with a few modems and maybe 25 customers. What a BullSh@t artist. Just a little jerk trying to score big with a bogus lawsuit.