So Do I. Can't use it though because I don't got jaws "NT authorisation". Maybe there's a crack for that also? ----- Original Message ----- From: "Gregory Nowak" <greg@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> To: <speakup at braille.uwo.ca> Sent: Wednesday, May 15, 2002 3:28 PM Subject: Re: interesting story > Yeah. A friend of mine surprised me the other day by cheerfully informing me that he's got a cd of a cracked copy of windows xp. > Greg > > > On Wed, May 15, 2002 at 03:22:42PM -0400, Alex Snow wrote: > > Sounds just like Microcrap. Hypocritical. > > And about that xp activation thing, it's been cracked. > > ----- Original Message ----- > > From: "Igor Gueths" <igueths at attbi.com> > > To: <speakup at braille.uwo.ca> > > Sent: Tuesday, May 14, 2002 7:33 PM > > Subject: interesting story > > > > > > Hi all. Hope this is of interest. > > > > Did Microsoft Flirt With Piracy? > > > > Complaints about open-source software policy reveal piracy > > rap > > in France. > > Kim Zetter, special to PCWorld.com > > Thursday, May 09, 2002 > > While Microsoft cracks down on software pirates the world > > over, the software giant itself was quietly convicted of > > piracy charges in France last fall--and the case, while > > supposedly under appeal, may cost the company some > > business. > > The French division of Microsoft is facing a fine of about > > $422,000 for illegal use of another company's source code > > in > > an animation program called Softimage 3D. The program has > > been > > used to create such films as The Matrix, Men in Black, and > > Star Wars. But the dispute itself was cited by a > > governmental > > buyer who contends Microsoft should not complain about > > pirates > > when it is guilty of the same transgression. Microsoft did > > not > > respond to requests for comment. > > Borrowed Code > > The issue started in 1995 when Microsoft France purchased > > Softimage, a Canadian company that developed the 3D CGI > > animation program Softimage 3D. The acquired company was > > accused of illegally lifting source code from a > > proprietary > > program called Character, developed by the owners of Syn'x > > Relief, a company near Paris. > > In 1994, Softimage had negotiated with Syn'x about > > integrating > > parts of the Character program into Softimage 3D. But the > > deal > > fell through when Softimage demanded all rights to the > > code, > > according to a report in PC World Malta. In 1995, when > > Syn'x > > severed its relationship with Microsoft-Softimage, the > > company > > assured Syn'x that it had removed "some or all" of > > Character > > from its software. But Syn'x charges that > > Microsoft-Softimage > > removed only one part of the code, and retained eight > > other > > functions that Character's developers had registered with > > the > > French National Intellectual Property Institute. > > After Syn'x sent two letters to Softimage and Microsoft > > demanding the functions be removed, the company filed > > suit. In > > 1998, Microsoft sold Softimage to Avid Technologies but > > remained responsible for the legal infringements of its > > former > > wholly owned subsidiary. > > Although Syn'x eventually fell into bankruptcy as a result > > of > > the case, the program's authors continued their fight. > > Last > > September the Commercial Court of Nanterre, France, > > awarded > > Syn'x the judgment for damages and interest. Microsoft has > > vowed to appeal the decision. > > Sales Pitch Rebuffed > > Microsoft's brush with piracy in France came to light only > > this week. The case was overshadowed at the time by the > > focus > > on the September 11 terrorist attacks. But recently a > > Peruvian > > congressman raised the issue in regard to a Microsoft > > contract. > > Dr. Edgar David Villanueva Nu?ez corresponded in April > > with > > Microsoft's general manager in Peru over proposed > > legislation > > there that would require any software used by the Peruvian > > government to be open source (or "free software," as it's > > referred to in Peru). Microsoft representatives protested > > the > > plan, writing the congressman that producing open-source > > software makes a software company vulnerable to piracy of > > its > > intellectual property by competitors. If Peru mandates the > > use > > of open-source software by government agencies, it "would > > establish discriminatory and noncompetitive practices in > > the > > contracting and purchasing" of software by public bodies, > > Microsoft stated. > > Nu?ez was apparently not persuaded. He replied to > > Microsoft: > > "The inclusion of the intellectual property of others in > > works > > claimed as one's own is not a practice that has been noted > > in > > the [open-source] software community; whereas, > > unfortunately, > > it has been in the area of proprietary software." He cited > > specifically Microsoft's conviction by the Commercial > > Court of > > France, "for violation of intellectual property (piracy, > > to > > use the unfortunate term that your firm commonly uses in > > its > > publicity)." > > Meanwhile, Microsoft remains one of the most outspoken > > critics > > of piracy, aggressively pursuing violators and urging > > authorities to crack down on anyone who illegally copies > > its > > software. The company even went so far as to include an > > Activation Wizard in Windows XP, which prevents customers > > from > > loading a single copy of XP onto more than one PC. The > > company > > amended the policy after user outcry. > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > Speakup mailing list > > Speakup at braille.uwo.ca > > http://speech.braille.uwo.ca/mailman/listinfo/speakup > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > Speakup mailing list > > Speakup at braille.uwo.ca > > http://speech.braille.uwo.ca/mailman/listinfo/speakup > > _______________________________________________ > Speakup mailing list > Speakup at braille.uwo.ca > http://speech.braille.uwo.ca/mailman/listinfo/speakup >
