Microsoft and me (for a beautiful web)
After several years of presenting my workshop materials on behalf of other people, on the 1st of September 2008 I announced that I’d be striking out to present my content in my own series of workshop events. I called this aspect of my business For A Beautiful Web.
I chose that name because it encapsulates everything that matters to me about the web — beautiful visual design as well as the beauty I see in well-crafted code. The name also works well with the topics I speak about; accessibility (for a beautiful web), CSS (for a beautiful web), microformats (for a beautiful web) and more.
I registered the domain names forabeautifulweb.com and forabeautifulweb.co.uk on 31st July 2007 via Media Temple after researching that there were no other companies using that name or something similar. I didn’t officially register the trademark, which in hindsight might prove to have been naive. I launched the website on 1st September 2008.
Over the last three years, For A Beautiful Web has become a respected brand and is also highly identifiable as mine. @beautifulweb has 1,701 followers on Twitter and my own 10,572 followers also undoubtably associate For A Beautiful Web with me. We’ve hosted successful events in 2008, 2009, 2010 and have plans to expand further in 2011. After I presented at pilot workshops, we quickly began to host workshops presented by others. Not only have these events made good business, most importantly our attendees love them.
For A Beautiful Web has developed into a brand that houses all my training content, including a highly successful series of DVDs and online video tutorials that were published by New Riders. I’m sure that the thousands of designers and developers who have bought or downloaded those titles also identify the For A Beautiful Web brand with me.
Today I learned that Microsoft have launched a beautyoftheweb.com site to promote Internet Explorer 9. The site’s tagline asks visitors to “Get ready for a more beautiful web”. Microsoft registered their domain name on 28th July 2010 and the URL and tagline are too close to mine to be mere coincidences.
Update: Microsoft also registered abeautifulweb.com on July 13th 2010. Hat-tip to @hellogeri.
Of all the voices in my head, the nice one (I call him Bill) says that this must be either a coincidence or a lack of research by Microsoft. I’d love to believe Bill, but a Google search quickly says otherwise. No wait, this is Microsoft we’re talking about, let’s try searching on Bing.
My other, more balrmery, chair throwing voice shouts “Don't be naive Andy. Microsoft knew exactly what they were doing and have no problem screwing over the little guy. Anyone with a web connection and a few spare minutes can see that For A Beautiful Web is an already established brand, trademarked or not.”
Common sense and gut instinct tells me to do something, but what?
I don’t want an energy sapping legal battle (that I would likely lose), nor do have a legal department with billions at their disposal. What I do have is a faith in the better judgement and consciences of my many friends who work at Microsoft — I’ve been a fierce critic and an advisor right up to and including Internet Explorer 9 —. I also have a platform to tell this story.