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Titans battle over content
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May 7, 1997: 8:32 p.m. ET
Ticketmaster accuses Microsoft of hurting its Web site revenue
From Correspondent Steve Young
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NEW YORK (CNNfn) - In what's become one of the biggest fights on the Internet yet, Ticketmaster, the nation's largest live-event ticket company, is suing software giant Microsoft Corp.
The dispute not only pits two companies who dominate their respective industries against one another, but also has two billionaire friends at odds.
The brawl started over Seattle Sidewalk, Microsoft's first foray into localized content on the Web. Ticketmaster says Microsoft is stealing its name and trademarked content and is also depriving it of ad revenue by steering Sidewalk users clear of its home page.
Kevin Eagen, general manager of Seattle Sidewalk, said the company has done nothing wrong and is merely following the same practice done by many others on the Web.
"One of the most basic building blocks of the Internet is the ability to freely link to sites that have public information available. We think this is critical to those businesses and users who want to get the most value out of the Internet," he said.
The dispute has become a thorny issue because it pits two billionaire business friends against one another: Microsoft Chairman and co-founder Bill Gates with its other co-founder Paul Allen, who is also the principal investor in Ticketmaster.
Microsoft said instead of filing suit, Ticketmaster should be grateful that it is sending customers its way.
Ticketmaster President Fred Rosen calls that suggestion nonsense. He said Microsoft started what has become a sort of hot-link heist after the two companies' talks on forming a relationship fell through. (176K WAV) or (176K AIFF)
However, Ticketmaster has its own critics who say the company charges fat fees for the events it handles.
The clash has cyberspace buzzing with the industry's smallest players saying it's really hard to figure out which side to root for.
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