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Microsoft Admits Japanese Monopoly Battle Hurting Image
News for nerds writes "The head of Microsoft Corp.'s Japan unit, Michael Rawding, acknowledged that the battle with Japanese anti-monopoly authorities over a controversial licensing clause has hurt its corporate image. But he said the company will continue to oppose a Fair Trade Commission ruling ordering Microsoft to retroactively remove the clause from its licensing agreements, as similar investigations in the United States and Europe found it 'lawful and appropriate' according to him, though Longhorn faces another delay. Commission officials are not certain any patents have been violated by Microsoft. But several Japanese electronics makers have complained about suspected patent infringements since December 2000, especially regarding multimedia technologies (VC-9 and H.264/AVC, anyone?). Major Japanese CE companies that are partners with Microsoft include Sony, Toshiba, and Matsushita."
In a pilot project, Microsoft will be selling a skeletal Windows Starter Edition in asian countries Malaysia, Thailand, and Indonesia. Priced lower as an effort to reduce the attraction of piracy and compete with Linux. More details in this InformationWeek article.
A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
$COUNTRY1 and $COUNTRY2 did it, $COUNTRY3 must too!
The question is, is it hypocritical to nail Microsoft (in the community) for patent violations and at the same time consider software patents wrong by their very nature.
Besides the release of SP2, what has Microsoft done recently to actually boost its image? Hurting the image wouldn't be so bad if they tried to do good things every now and then.
Specifically:
So Microsoft is forcing people it deals with to stay quiet if MS happens to infringe on their patents? I don't think there's any doubt whatsoever who is (*should be) in the right here. Of course, the frightening part is the US & Europe both found this perfectly normal.
Stuff.
Most of Japan, as I understand it, actually cares whether its companies are following its laws, especially foreign companies. This could actually hurt, instead of drive up (publicity), sales of Microsoft products in japan.
Since when has this country used intellectual elite as a pejorative term?
Commission officials are not certain any patents have been violated by Microsoft. But several Japanese electronics makers have complained about suspected patent infringements since December 2000
Hooray for software patents! Down with Microsoft!
(Did I get that right? TIA)
as similar investigations in the United States and Europe found it 'lawful and appropriate'
Surely he realizes that that doesn't matter, since United States and European laws and rulings do not apply in countries other than the U.S. and the European Union, respectively.
The US and Europe consider MS to be a monopoly. Japan looks like they will come to that conclusion too. How many more countries need to declare them a monopoly before it becomes true?
On Wednesday, Microsoft for the first time divulged specific information about what the Starter Editions will contain. For instance, the bare-bones operating system's screen resolution maxes out at 800-by-600, it lacks support for home networking and shared printers, and only allows three programs to be running simultaneously.
Hmmm, while the cheapo version of windows may have a market, I can think of three different kernels that support a whole GNU world of software running simultaneously, for much less money. Of course getting a networked printer to work still requires a google search.
On a more serious note, are all the little nasties that windows aquires from the web going to count towards the three processes ?
i think worms,spammers zombies, viruses,spyware,dialers,malware,160+ internet explorer exploits, even mobile phone viruses !
MS's image was damaged the day they decided software quality was secondary to marketing, quarter balance sheets and screw the customer for everything you can
Who the hell do those Japanese think they are? Do they think they run their own country?! Do they think that the Japanese Parliament gets to enact laws that protect their citizenry from monopolies?!
Don't worry though; they'll soon fall into line lock-step behind the American and European plutocrats.
All they have to do is give up the New York Ave and Illinois Ave monopolies. They can have Boardwalk, but the Japanese are particularly frustrated with the free parking corner.
*sigh* The end of the day is always my most productive.
as similar investigations in the United States and Europe found it 'lawful and appropriate'
Surely he realizes that that doesn't matter, since United States and European laws and rulings do not apply in countries other than the U.S. and the European Union, respectively.
You are an ignorant, self absorbed, leeching shit hole. Stop trying to attach your little tempest in a tea kettle of a software political agenda to a real, human tragedy.
Perhaps some of us (see above) need to temper our talents for overstatement.
Comparing Microsoft to a rapist? You can easily get out from under Microsoft , don't buy their software. I have yet to talk to a rape victim who had a choice in the matter.
Let's see -- we've had the Two Minutes of Rage Against SCO, Google IPO, Sun vaporware and Wireless Technology That Americans Must Be Forced To Want -- if the editors can scrape up an new IE vulnerability and a stupid Linux Is/Is Not Ready For The Desktop article, we can call it a day.
What I'm listening to now on Pandora...
I would have to say YES.
Based on the definition of "Slashdot Fanboy", however, I would probably say "no". At least not in this "community".
Those who really care know software patents are bad, period, no matter what company is being hurt by them in the news. But to many /. people just the idea that Microsoft is hurting will cause them to turn a blind eye to the larger issue - that this could set a precedant that would hurt other software companies, and open source, in the long run.
MS reminds me most of the mafia from the movies. The mafia is free to kill rape and plunder but if someone kills a mafia member they sinned against the family. A real case of being able to dish it out but not being able to take it. Or a cry-baby bully.
Lets see that the Microsoft apologists come up with this time. Will they as ever reach a new low?
MMO Quests are like orgasms:
You may solo them, I prefer them in a group.
Microsoft has a long history of seldom using patents as an offensive measure, and only resorting to them in defence when another company sues *them*.
There are any number of patents Microsoft could be using to try and hurt Linux right now. Have you heard of any lawsuits? I haven't.
Wow! Moronic, racist, sexist and creepy -- all in just a few lines.
From this InformationWeek article:
"On Wednesday, Microsoft for the first time divulged specific information about what the Starter Editions will contain. For instance, the bare-bones operating system's screen resolution maxes out at 800-by-600, it lacks support for home networking and shared printers, and only allows three programs to be running simultaneously."
Only now is M$ saying that it is getting a bad publicity? And I thought windows 95 and on was bad publicity. (NOTE: I didn't use 3.1 so I can't speak for it)
If they are worried about a bad image one would think that they would start trying to better their image verses destroy the competition in effort to leave them as the only choice.
--
Who needs windows when you have linux.
Its called "Poetic Irony."
:)
It is a wonderful thing.
Nothing would please me more than to see great evil forces serve as their own mutual undoing.
Gee whiz. Gotta love the artificial limitations Microsoft shoves into its operating systems. Yeah, I'm sure releasing that bastardized system will stop piracy.
Program_Count++
If Program_Count > 3 Then Print "Pay us more money damn it!!11!!"
While I could go into a long tirade of how this works, Japan is generally considered more self-centric when it comes to businessand as a rule, if the Japanese company feels threatened (and it has reason to feel so - no FUD allowed), the Japanese courts will deal harshly with it. If you have ever read Michael Chricton's Land of the Rising SUn, it goes into a surprising amount of depth (albeit with alot of fictional twsits).
So then 3 out of 5 of 80% of Windows computers in use today, or whatever outrageous percentage of Windows computers out in the wild happen to have a lot of malware.
Still pretty high. And the kind of people to get hit are probably the ones least likley to know how to fix the issue. Proabably Best Buy and other computer-fixing places will be swamped after.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
I bow before you, O master of flamebait.
At the bottom of the document it says "Copyright (C) yada, yada, yada All Rights Reserved"
"All rights reserved" is a notice used to claim rights under the Buenos Aires Convention, a copyright treaty between the U.S. and most South American countries. I don't think Japan is a member of the BA Convention, but even if it was, they're still using a notice that has no meaning, since Japan - like the U.S. - is a member of the Berne Convention and so is every other country that is a member of the Buenos Aires Convention. In short, the additional notice is totally superfluous and has been since 1988!
The lessons of history teach us - if they teach us anything - that nobody learns the lessons that history teaches us.
I cannot be the only one that finds the title of this /. article amusing. So I guess all the complaints over the years regarding the security vulnerabilities in their software and the outcries of people annoyed by their business practices didn't have the same or greater negative impact on their "image" as has this "monopoly battle"?
I'd oppose the Fair Trade Commission too. I mean, good god look at their web page! What's fair about using a lens flair in your logo?
in bed.
Can someone post the clause in question, preferably translated into English?
Oh my God, that's hilarious! I'm laughing my ass off here! You know, just the other day I was watching the movie Airplane and I heard the line, "looks like I picked the wrong week to quit sniffing glue" and I thought to myself, "that is perhaps the funniest line in any movie ever." But, man, you've shown me. This is much more hilarious! You could make a fortune on the stand-up circuit.
Comment of the year
Is biil gates is a tight-ass... I can alomst see it now... I HAD to take your money.... you don't understand
Get bent Bill... and while you're at it pay the nation ddebt off to China.... it's the same as your fucking net worth.. obviously it's your then and not ours. THEN DROP OFF A FUCKING CLIFF TIGHTASS
||| I still can't believe Parkay's not butter.
Licenses have to fit on a single page in a 12 point font with reasonable margins and no words above three syllables.
Less is more, and greater is (baroque|broke).
Feed ye not the sharks.
Get thee glass eyes, and, like a scurvy politician, seem to see things thou dost not.--King Lear
I hope they make them take it out of their license agreement.
If they were smart they would not allow their piece of shit software in their country.
Just go open source now and save all the trouble later when you have to switch anyway.
Please - this is from someone in the states - Just say no to Microsoft - you do not need them.
I suspect it's more hardware patents that are the issue. The companies in question are all hardware manufacturers.
Who else gets pictures of Godzilla vs a Borg Cube in their minds? Go Godzilla!
This may be slightly off topic, but interesting nonetheless. I just read in the Wall Stree Journal that Windows XP Starter Edition can only run 3 applications at a time.
3 seems a little low when you figure you have to first start up your antivirus program, anti-spyware program, and firewall. And does spyware itself count for software running?
If Microsoft strikes before Europe introduces software patents, the future of those software patents might very well be rather limited in Europe. Thus they wait until those laws are on record before acting.
If that doesn't convince you, this *Microsoft* we are talking about - one of the most ruthlessly aggressive companies there is. Why would they hold back against what they perceive as their most important competitor? That just doesn't make sense, unless it is part of a greater strategy.
Microsoft Admits Monopoly Battle Hurting Image... in Japan!
I know it sounds Troll, but if its truth...
I give the ministers of Japan about 9 months before they roll over like cheap whores. Just like the Justice Department did here in the U.S. on the M$ anti-trust verdict.