Hi Alex. Yeah I know about the xp thing, and I just posted it to demonstrate everyone's theory that Microcrap is on the downward Spiral (Nine Inch Nails and Trent Resner). ----- Original Message ----- From: Alex Snow <alex_snow@xxxxxxx> To: <speakup at braille.uwo.ca> Sent: Wednesday, May 15, 2002 3:22 PM Subject: Re: interesting story > 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
