"somehow had saved what he claims was my response to Microsoft’s legal threat and sent it me."
While I understand how the response was many years ago, I fail to see how someone couldn't verify a letter that they wrote (it tends to be easy at least to know your style of writing and it's hard to believe he wouldn't remember writing to Gates about this). And what was the form of this letter (a printout of an old email, a copy of a physical letter, something hand written)? Certainly Doug didn't verbally remind him. There must have been something physical to look at.
His letter by the way is naive with respect to trademark law. Microsoft most likely wasn't objecting to the "e" but the stylized element above the "e". Steve's letter addresses only the "E".
This is a great example of standing up for yourself while emphasizing the mutual interest of both parties. As this letter helps demonstrate, sometimes reacting with humor and kindness is the best way to deal posturing.
Well first this was a letter allegedly (Blank doesn't fully verify, he says, "he claimed was my response" which as I pointed out in my other post is a little strange) sent to Gates and the use of humor is somewhat patronizing. Not the mention the fact that if you are hoping for Gates to call off his legal dogs (and once again I don't know the relationship between Gates and Blank) using humor could very well not be the correct way to do it. Because it make someone (probably not Gates of course) feel stupid.
Let's say for example a well know internet industry person decides to write to PG about something going on at a company that he just picked for a YC class. PG thinks his organization is picking winners. And now you write him a letter essentially saying "the children you put in charge at Babbozify are ..." (and insert something you think shows they have no clue). How is PG going to feel? How would the average person feel about this? People don't want to be told people they put trust in are doing stupid things. And if you do this you have to be very careful to show concern and not be belittling.
I think you missed two key words in my comment:"sometimes" and "reacting". I didn't say it worked for every situation (see word #1). Your counter example isn't relevant to what I was stating either since it wasn't a response to an empty threat (see word #2).
Reminds me of of the description of Abraham Lincoln in How to Win Friends, although I guess here Steve wasn't the one that decided not sent the letter - it seems like it was a wise choice either way!
Everyone knows that if you don't try to protect your trademark, you end up losing it.
The logos are somewhat similar, and I'm also not surprised that nothing came of this.
The "threat to sue over the letter 'e'" is an exaggeration to get pageviews, and this article should be deleted.