Microsoft ordered to stop selling Windows

[Candlelight]

http://www.stuff.co.nz/technology/3076679/Microsoft-ordered-to-stop-selling-Windows

Microsoft has been ordered by a Chinese court to stop selling versions of its Windows operating systems that include fonts designed by a local company, citing a violation of licensing agreements.
The ruling, issued by Beijing's No. 1 Intermediate People's Court on Monday, is a blow for Microsoft as it seeks to expand its market share in China where it already faces problems of rampant software piracy.
In its ruling, the court said Microsoft violated the scope of licensing agreements between it and a Chinese technology company, Zhongyi Electronic, which designs Chinese character fonts.
Microsoft will have to stop selling the Chinese versions of its Windows 98, 2000, 2003 and Windows XP, according to the court. It is unclear when the ruling will take effect or how many copies are affected.
Microsoft said it will appeal the ruling.
"Microsoft respects intellectual property rights. We use third party IPs only when we have a legitimate right to do so," the firm said in a statement.
Zhongyi Electronic said in a statement on its website that the agreements signed only permitted Microsoft to use its intellectual property in Windows 95, but that the U.S. tech giant used it in subsequent versions of its Chinese Windows operating systems.
China has long been the target of foreign firms seeking to protect their intellectual property, but roles are fast reversing as Chinese firms mature and become more aggressive in protecting their own designs.
"By winning this case against an internationally well-known company like Microsoft, it shows that China, although still a developing country, is taking positive steps to protect intellectual property rights," said Ling Xin Yu, the lawyer for Zhongyi told Reuters.

It's like telling Ford to stop selling cars.

 

[TGTheodore]

"Microsoft respects intellectual property rights. We use third party IPs only when we have a legitimate right to do so," the firm said in a statement.

Yeah.

--Ted

 

[Candlelight]

I'm assuming they mean Server 2003. I doubt anyone is buying Longhorn...

 

[the Dagman]

"Microsoft respects intellectual property rights. We use third party IPs only when we have a legitimate right to do so," the firm said in a statement.

Yeah.

--Ted

Yeah, right...

Like with the time when it was found that Microsoft had appropriated code directly from Apple's Quicktime for use in their new Media Player. Right down to the junk lines of code written into QT that was a joke between Apple's developers being left in Microsoft's WMP. The case that led Microsoft to buying $150M of non-voting Apple stock and pledging to develop Office for the Mac platform in the terms of their settlement of the case back in '98. The case that most PC fans site of when "Microsoft saved Apple", disregarding the fact that Apple had $4B banked in their cash reserves at the time. Yet that $150M "saved Apple from bankruptcy."

Or how Microsoft appropriated the GUI and mouse from Apple, after Apple had been asked by Xerox/PARC to develop what they had created. And Apple had paid them for it by giving PARC a good chunk of Apple stock. And members of that same PARC team have been and currently are members of Apple's Board of Directors. Yet PC fans still say that Apple "stole" the GUI and mouse from PARC, so it is only fair that Microsoft stole it from them via a loophole in a software development contract. Reeeeeeal legitimate there.

Apple: the R&D department of Microsoft. Whether they like it or not.

 

[Peach Wookiee]

It's funny that China should talk about this... Software piracy, anyone?

 

[Jadzia]

agreements signed only permitted Microsoft to use its intellectual property in Windows 95, but that the U.S. tech giant used it in subsequent versions of its Chinese Windows operating systems.

Sounds like a fair ruling.

 

[John Picard]

It's funny that China should talk about this... Software piracy, anyone?

That, and respecting intellectual rights. The Chinese have a very difficult time understanding that concept.

 

[Tom Riley]

It's funny that China should talk about this... Software piracy, anyone?

China: "Stop selling your product here, so we can continue pirating it for free." Basically.

 

[Marc]

It's funny that China should talk about this... Software piracy, anyone?

China: "Stop selling your product here, so we can continue pirating it for free." Basically.

ACtually I've heard it's worse.

Many of the "production facilities" that are turning out pirated materials (whether Microsoft Software or whatever) are owned by members of the government and senior party members.

 

[Gary Mitchell]

Why would anyone in China still be buying Windows 98, 2000, 2003 and Windows XP and why would Microsoft still be selling them?

 

[Candlelight]

Why would anyone in China still be buying Windows 98, 2000, 2003 and Windows XP and why would Microsoft still be selling them?

The answer to your second question is $$.

 

[Gary Mitchell]

Why would anyone in China still be buying Windows 98, 2000, 2003 and Windows XP and why would Microsoft still be selling them?

The answer to your second question is $$.

I know that Microsoft is all about the money but I just thought that they would be trying to sell Windows 7 or even Vista, not any of the older versions.

 

[Candlelight]

...getting rid of old stock...

...that happen to be in a chinese language...?

 

[LitmusDragon]

Why would anyone in China still be buying Windows 98, 2000, 2003 and Windows XP and why would Microsoft still be selling them?

Companies are often very reluctant to adopt new technologies.

I deal in the barcode scanning industry and we get people all the time trying to buy scanners we discontinued 10 years ago.

The bureaucracy of a company is often such that anything new that is adopted has to go through a rigorous screening process before it can be implemented. Rather than go through this process companies will often stick to using what they are currently using even if it's outdated or inefficient by modern standards.

 

[Tom Riley]

It's funny that China should talk about this... Software piracy, anyone?

China: "Stop selling your product here, so we can continue pirating it for free." Basically.

ACtually I've heard it's worse.

Many of the "production facilities" that are turning out pirated materials (whether Microsoft Software or whatever) are owned by members of the government and senior party members.

And that article was being so positive towards China.

 

[Rii]

It's funny that China should talk about this... Software piracy, anyone?

That, and respecting intellectual rights. The Chinese have a very difficult time understanding that concept.

To be fair, it is a very difficult concept to understand.

 

[Marc]

It's funny that China should talk about this... Software piracy, anyone?

That, and respecting intellectual rights. The Chinese have a very difficult time understanding that concept.

To be fair, it is a very difficult concept to understand.

especially when you don't want to.

Seem the Chinese have decied to esculate and a group if accusing google of intellectual property theft.

http://www.goodgearguide.com.au/article/326998

I have to wonder how much of this is political. The Chinese Government have copped heaps for the censorship so they can now turn around and use say "well Google is guilty of copywrite infringment so we won't all access".