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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."
Right...that should convince the South Korean government (and the rest of the world) that they're not an abusive monopoly.
The NSA: The only part of the US government that actually listens.
Screw you guys! I'm going home!
"You will pay for your lack of vision..." - Emperor Palpatine to Ray Charles
Only old people use Windows in Korea.
Are you...Are you some kind of genius?
No, ma'am, I'm just a regular Slashdot reader.
"And who will that inconvenience?"
End of lesson. You may press the button.
It's their software, shouldn't they be able to sell it or not sell it where they wish?
I am Homer of Borg. Resistance is Fut.. Mmmmmmmm, Donuts!
South Korea prepares a heart felt thank you letter.
Now that's a death ray!
the headline below this is "Why do people switch to Linux?"
"It is a good divine that follows his own instructions" - Portia, The Merchant of Venice
This is common language in such filings to let investors know of worst case scenarios. For reference, see such filings by SCO on Groklaw.
So no, it's not a threat or a conspiracy
If thou see a fair woman pay court to her, for thus thou wilt obtain love
"So Korea, why did you switch to Linux?"
Korea: "For a variety of reasons. First, Microsoft violated many of my anti-trust regulations. Second, because it is foreign owned and controlled, even it their home country is one of my allies. Third, TCO is very high. Fourth, I have had many security and quality issues with their Jack-of-all-trades-master-of-none operating system. Fifth, Microsoft in response to the charges had threatened to slow or not at all release new products. And finally, because they took their marbles and went home."
"Their marbles?"
Korea: "Yes, I'm very disappointed, they had some very pretty catseyes and peeries."
Man. Are these people lazy, greedy or what? An entire country, with a considerably strong economy that DEC, Pr1me, Unisys, etc. would absolutely have sold their souls for. Microsoft can't have it their way so they're going to pull out. Blimey.A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
I don't want to get flamed too hard here, but why not? I know M$ has done some predatory things in the past, but they also do a lot of good and get constantly bashed for it. In an open market why should M$ have to sell their goods in a Country that constantly hassles them? I say let them, this will allow the open source movement to see how well they can step up to the plate as well. Just my $0.02...
This is a clever strategy on the part of Microsoft. The Koreans will be brought to their knees when they realize they need Windows to play Starcraft.
So, if I'm reading it right, Microsoft is saying that they will either not release a "special" version of windows for S. Korea, or that releases will be delayed (presumably to create the modifications required by their Anti-Trust regulations).
This seems perfectly reasonable. They're not even saying they will necessarily pull windows from the market, it might just take them longer to develop the "MS Vista - S. Korea Version" than it would to release the standard. Nothing to see here... more Microsoft non-news.
Plus, if S. Korea is saying "play nice" and they say "no" outright, this is still well within their rights, there is no mandate that they must release software for the masses (In fact, SlashThink directly opposes this). More power to S. Korea if they think they can actually pull that off...
"If you put butter and salt on it, it tastes like salty butter." -Terry Pratchet, on Popcorn.
1) open mouth ...
2) insert shotgun
$$$ profit! $$$
24. ANTI-SOUTH KOREA PROVISION
Windows may not be used and is not licensed for use in any area of South Korea because they are big doodyheads and we don't like them any more.
It's better to vote for what you want and not get it than to vote for what you don't want and get it.
- E. Debs
Oh, please.
MS isn't going to pull out of South Korea. Everyone involved already knows that. The statement is just part of the usual grandstanding that always goes on with this sort of thing. They won't pull out because it's too large a market to just write off, and they don't want another country deciding to go with a competitor nationwide.
Reality has a conservative bias: it conserves mass, energy, momentum...
SCO is just the picture of normalcy.
Now if only we could get them to pull their products from the US, I would be happy.
I have come to a conclusion that one useless man is a shame, two is a law firm, and three or more is a congress -J Adams
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.
There are three possible explanations:
1. Microsoft doesn't make a lot of money in South Korea, so they don't care if they're there or not.
2. This is just a stunt better used by an 8 year old rather than a mult-billion dollar software company.
3. Microsoft is desperate to hold on to its domination of the planet earth. After all, when you control over 90% of the desktops on earth there's nowhere to go but down.
This is my opinion. To make sure you don't steal it, it's covered by the DMCA.
This is EXACTLY why Massachusetts and ALL governments should insist on open formats for public records. It's not right that public records be held hostage!
What would happen if Microsoft's proprietary XML format was used and Microsoft told Massachusetts that if they didn't get their way they would stop selling Windows in that state? How would the public continue to access their own public records?
It amazes me that some people can't see this danger.
The race isn't always to the swift... but that's the way to bet!
You can't play hardball with an independent nation..
Tomrrows Headlines:
Korea declares all Microsoft IP, Software and Copywrites to be in the Korean Public Domain. All Microsoft Offices Nationalized and documents seized for "National Security"
Nope. Monopolies destroy "free markets". That's what Adam Smith, no less, said. And he was right. If the result of a "free market" is the permanent elimination of a free market, then you've hit a recursive loop and have fallen off the flat earth.
And here's a thing: a nation doesn't maintain free markets to enable companies to do whatever they want. Free markets are maintained for the benefit of the common good, so that prices are kept sane, product can't be embargoes on personal whim, and we the people have a market responsive to our needs, NOT THE COMPANY'S.
Corporations are licensed legal fictions designed to remove personal liability from the exectives of same. They exist for our purposes - the market is not kept free for their benefit, but for ours.
Letting busineses grow into monopolies, unregulated, will just create a new feudalism which will in no way be a free market enabling a free people. The only people "free" in a world without business regulations will be the owners of the businesses.
We regulate monopolies so we can retain free markets. That's not just Adam Smith, it's the law.
Korea declares all Microsoft IP, Software and Copywrites to be in the Korean Public Domain.
Diclaimer: IANAL, but I am a law student.
As much as that (semi-humorous) thought would warm my heart, South Korea is a member of the World Trade Organization, which requires signing the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights ("TRIPs"), which incorporates the Berne Convention by reference.
What does this mean? It means that South Korea is obligated to recognize foreign copyrights, and stripping that protection for (arguably valid) nationalist reasons would almost certainly be in violation of international law. I haven't had a chance to fully and formally study the documents in question, but I would be shocked if there would be no recourse by the WTO.
- Neil Wehneman
P.S. Berne is a major impediment to full and free reform of copyright on a national level, as it mandates signatory countries to grant at least a copyright term of life of the author plus fifty years.
My legal education, in nifty podcast format
When firms become large enough to wield monopoly power, they become much larger threats to free-market economics than anti-trust regulation. There is NOTHING free-market about an industry dominated by a monopoly. Market constraints come from the monopoly rather than the gov't, but that does not mean they are not constraints.
Anti-trust regulations (if well administered) make markets slightly less free overall, but they remain MOSTLY free. This is an attempt to preserve as much freedom in the marketplace as possible.
MOSTLY free is better than NOT-AT-ALL free.
If you regard free-market as a binary condition, then a more accurate statement is that market freedom is inherently unstable, eventually requiring regulation to prevent descent into abusive monopolistic environments. As such, free markets would be a poor standard by which to judge an economic environment because it would describe only immaturity of the market. Gauging market freedom on a continuum is a much more useful way to consider its effects on the market participants.