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Microsoft Sues Brazilian Official for Defamation

Posted by michael on from the truth-hurts dept.

The Importance of writes "Larry Lessig is reporting that Microsoft is threatening a defamation lawsuit against Sergio Amadeu, President of the National Institute of Information Technology (ITI) of Brazil, for comments he has made about Microsoft's business practices, "accusing the company of a 'drug-dealer practice' for offering the operational system Windows to some governments and city administration for digital inclusion programs. 'This is a trojan horse, a form of securing critical mass to continue constraining the country'." Additionally, "To Amadeu, this will be a decisive year to win the 'strategy of fear, uncertainty and doubt', as he classifies the business model of Microsoft." Microsoft's complaint claims that this is "an excess in freedom of speech and freedom of thought, by means of the dissemination of information." Read a translation of the complaint [PDF] and the original article, "The Penguin Advances [PDF]." Lessig notes that this may be defamation in Brazil, but would not be considered defamation in the United States."

7 of 401 comments (clear)

  1. Interesting complaint... by Queuetue · · Score: 5, Insightful
    I don't have time right now to read a lot of legalese, but from the article post:

    Microsoft's complaint claims that this is "an excess in freedom of speech and freedom of thought, by means of the dissemination of information."

    Strange that they didn't argue it was untrue. :)
  2. So.... by worfgzr · · Score: 5, Insightful

    If I say that Microsoft's is akin to those of the Maifa, that there licensing schemes are more like the fifdom taxation scheme of Ole England, and that their very existence threatens innovation and the advancement of technology, would I get sued too? I guess I'd have to say those things in a public forum, and be in the position to influence thebuing decisions on thousands, if not millions of people. Kinda like /. . Bring it own Bill! Vern Seward

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  3. No, not at all like drug dealing by bl8n8r · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Drug dealing goes like this:

    - give away a product
    - build a dependancy
    - begin charging for the product
    - introduce new "stronger" product

    Q) How is that like anything Microsoft has ever done?
    A) Microsoft has never cut their product with corn starch (that we know of).

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  4. Truth is an absolute defense by squarooticus · · Score: 5, Insightful

    In the United States, truth is an absolute defense against charges of slander or libel. This is one of the many immensely logical precepts of our legal system that most of us on Slashdot (including myself, I know) take for granted just as we criticize other aspects of the same system. Let's have a round of applause for the US in this matter, and then go right back to criticism. :)

    Cheers,
    Kyle

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  5. thought crime? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    "an excess in freedom of thought"

    That doesn't sound any alarms with anyone else? Are they trying to say this is literally a *thought crime*?

    Holy crap.

  6. Re:Misleading title... by 0x0d0a · · Score: 5, Insightful

    To be fair, the tactics they are using against employees of their customers that judge their product harshly are also unbearable.

    As someone else pointed out, Ballmer said that "Linux is a cancer" quite recently -- this is hardly worse than "Microsoft uses the business plans of drug dealers".

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    May we never see th
  7. "The first one is free" by mangu · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Considering that windows comes pre-installed in most PCs, many people believe it to be "free", in the no-pay sense. It's like including a stone of crack in the school enrollment fee.