Microsoft's army of lawyers was no match for a kid from Kent

[Cruzz563]

Taken from torrentspy.com, who intern got it from here clevescene

David Zamos doesn't look as if he could single-handedly humiliate the world's largest software maker.

The well-built 21-year-old sips a jumbo cup of Starbucks coffee in the University of Akron's student union. He's looking dapper in pin-striped slacks, a navy pea coat, and a necklace of wooden beads that hugs his wide neck.

Thanks to massive doses of caffeine, Zamos (whose name rhymes with "famous") anxiously taps his Camper lace-ups against the table. A laptop sits to his right, a fat black binder to his left.

The only thing setting him apart from the other late-night crammers is that his notebook isn't filled with study guides. It's overflowing with documents from the federal lawsuit Microsoft brought against him on December 21.

For the past four months, Zamos has been fighting four high-powered attorneys. They claimed he violated trademark and copyright laws by selling two unopened pieces of software on eBay for $203.50.

Cleveland lawyers Robert Chudakoff and Edward Simms, along with San Francisco lawyers Roy Bartlett and Cameron Alston, allege that the sale cost Microsoft hundreds of thousands of dollars in "irreparable damage." They demanded that Zamos hand over his eBay profits ($143.50) and cover the company's court costs and legal fees.

The honchos at Bill Gates' empire probably thought it would be an easy, open-and-shut case, just like the 1,045 similar suits they have filed.

"They're crazy," Zamos says of the blizzard of suits. "I think they just pump these things out. And if you look at how many go to a decision, it's none. People just don't show up or bother to defend themselves."

Continue this article at clevescene

A bit of a read, but a good one. It makes you feel good about the "Sue the bastards!" mentality, as he said, the fact that he was able to defend himself in a court of law--against Microsoft no less--is a great thing. IMO anyway.

[Ultra_Kool_Dude]

That story is great. I wonder what he got in the settlement...

[andyhui01]

Respect to him

[jayjaya29]

Respect to him, thats a story he will be glad to tell when he gets old.

"Microsoft sued me and I hit em down."

[Roman]

Bill Gates could sue my ass and win, I'd still think his software empire is built on ideas taken directly from Apple's OS.

I'm old enough to have witnessed the birth of the home computer and remember how Windowz came to be.

[tloekke]

Great story. He should write a script and sell it to Hollywood now there's a drought among the script-writers there. Based on a true story......

[Cruzz563]

Originally Posted by Roman

Bill Gates could sue my ass and win, I'd still think his software empire is built on ideas taken directly from Apple's OS.

I'm old enough to have witnessed the birth of the home computer and remember how Windowz came to be.

That's true, Steve Wozniack (sp?!), accused him of stealing code when the compnay first began, I remember him talking about it on The ScreenSavers.

[SiR_dude]

Read it through - that's awesome Wish I had the balls to do something like that. I probably would have chickened out right up front

[haha604]

This is a nice one .

[monkeymax]

This is really cool. Yeah, it's quite likely had I been in his shoes I wouldn't have been bothered to do all the research he did, and I'd have lost fairly quickly. Definately respect to him!

Roman, worryingly I too am old enough to remember most of Windoze domination of the home computer market! Being a huge Mac fan (even though I'm currently using my PC, and it is my main computer at the moment) I too feel that there are many parts of Window$ that are blatant rips of the MacOS. And it hasn't finished either... there's a new feature in the MacOS coming out next week called Spotlight which apparently Micro$oft again has something extremely similar to in their new version of Windows... Longhorn... Hmmm...

[Got3n]

LMAO they got owned