Slashdot Mirror
Microsoft Threatens To Withdraw Windows in S.Korea
RocketJeff writes "South Korea's Fair Trade Commission (FTC) has been investigating Microsoft since 2001 for violations of South Korea's antitrust rules. According to a Reuters article, part of a recent Microsoft regulatory filing states 'it might be necessary to withdraw Windows from the Korean market or delay offering new versions in Korea.' Basically, Microsoft is threatening to take their marbles and go home if they don't get the ruling they want."
I wonder what percentage of the south korean economy is made up of those internet cafes. Switching OS's won't really be fun for them (if it comes to that.).
Gaming is fairly big in SK also, somehow I think 'it runs on WINE' isn't going to fly.
If I don't want to sell you something, by what moral principle could you compel me to do so anyway?
The "if you're gonna be a shitty customer, I'm gonna ban you from my store" play seems perfectly reaosnable to me.
It's like if Ford decided to stop making cars, it would not cause all the Fords currently on the road to stop working.
That reminds me of a story about how Cuba is filled with classic American cars from the 1940s and 1950s that are (for the most part) still well maintained and still on the road after all these years. They can't get new cars easily because the closest nation won't trade with them and for the longest time neither would most of the Western World.
Granted, software isn't automobiles and there are ways around it (run the American version, pirate it, switch to linux, etc.) but it's kind of amusing to think of an entire nation running Windows 2000 and XP 40 years from now.
I want peace on earth and goodwill toward man.
We are the United States Government! We don't do that sort of thing.
There are countries where piracy is more rampant than others. I lived in Venezuela in the mid 90's and I'd never seen such rampant piracy before in my life. People sold copies of copywrited material on every street corner. From bad duplicates of Simpson T-shirts to stacks and stacks of audio cassettes coppied onto blank tapes. I don't know anything about South Korea, but you can't say that piracy problems are the exact same no matter where you are in the world.
www.joshferguson.org
First the United States
Then the E.U.
Now South Korea
How long until every government jumps on the $500,000,000 + bandwagon of suing Microsoft?
They really don't have many choices. Now they are at the point where their only answer is: "We don't negotiate with terrorists."
No reason to lie.