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Do You Own Your Native Language?
l2718 writes "In a new take on the reach of 'Intellectual Property,' the Mapuche Indians of Chile are accusing Microsoft of linguistic piracy. Their lawsuit alleges that Microsoft needed permission from the tribal elders before translating its software into Mapuzugun, a project which was co-ordinated with the Chilean Ministry of Education." From the CNN Money article: "The Mapuche took their case to a court in the southern city of Temuco earlier this month but a judge ruled it should be considered in Santiago. A judge in the capital is due to decide in the next two weeks whether Microsoft has a case to answer. 'If they rule against us we will go to the Supreme Court and if they rule against us there we will take our case to a court of human rights,' said Lautaro Loncon, a Mapuche activist and coordinator of the Indigenous Network, an umbrella group for several ethnic groups in Chile."
I am the one who owns the English language. I get the final word on how it is used. Why do you ask?
... and then they built the supercollider.
I'm a firm believer in free speech, regardless of what the creators of a language say. Seems to me like the worst thing they could do to Microsoft is a regional boycott, and I don't see that hurting them.
This has Mel Gibson written all over it.
Wanna fight ? Bend over, stick your head up your ass, and fight for air.
Oh fuck, they patented cuss-words too. Oops!
Table-ized A.I.