 Rowe went to the press , creating publicity for the case and garnering support for his cause , including donations of over $ 6 @,@ 000 and an offer of free advice from a lawyer . At one point Rowe was forced to take down his site after it was overwhelmed by around 250 @,@ 000 page views over a period of twelve hours , only managing to get the site back up after changing to a service provider with a higher capacity . The case , portrayed as a David versus Goliath struggle by the media , characterized Microsoft in a negative light . The resulting bad publicity was later described as a " public relations mess . " The public showing of support that Rowe received was credited with " softening Microsoft 's stance , " leading to an eventual settlement . 
