Microsoft Corp, no stranger to legal trouble, has been slapped with a lawsuit that couldn’t be stranger. A web site that sells cheerleading merchandise is suing the software giant over allegations that its LinkExchange internet service linked the company’s site to hardcore online pornography. An injunction and undisclosed punitive damages are being sought in the case.
Boathouse Row Entertainment Inc, which runs an online store for the cheerleading squad of the NFL’s Oakland Raiders, claims that Microsoft’s service placed lewd banner ads on the site, thereby damaging its reputation. Mark Goodman, an attorney for Boathouse Row, told Reuters that the company was contacted earlier this year by team officials who were concerned over the fact that the Oakland Raiderettes web site contained ads that were luring visitors to a destination called porncity.com. From there, it just got worse, Goodman lamented.
Microsoft has staunchly denied the charges and insists that the LinkExchange service maintains a strict policy on excluding such material. LinkExchange is designed to allow small businesses to swap free web advertisements with other network members. Microsoft further claims that requests for more information on the allegations were ignored by Boathouse Row. But for all you conspiracy theorists out there, Microsoft insider Paul Allen does own the Seattle Seahawks, a divisional rival of the Raiders.
