Ah, China. They hosted the Olympics this year and won a ton of Gold Medals, they’ve got that big wall over there, and somewhere in their country, a General named Tso taught us to love eating chicken all over again. And now, they add another cultural distinction to their already impressive list… Microsoft is targeting their software pirates.
Software shennanigans and hijinks in China have long been a thorn in Microsoft’s side. Lax copyright laws encourage reverse engineering and knock off products to propagate the Chinese market. And why pay for the genuine articles when you can buy imitations for a fraction of the cost? Well, Microsoft has decided to up the ante for the country’s 200 million computer users with the “Windows Genuine Advantage” program. And it has a lot of Chinese users hopping mad.
The “Advantage” program is simple; systems running fake or illegally copied software eventually fail a validation test at which point, the offending user’s desktop turns black. No icons, no start button, just… black. And it’s already grabbing attention and offending the offenders.
Some users may not even realize the copy of Windows they’re running is fake but Microsoft isn’t in a forgiving mood. Already defending the move on their website, Microsoft states that it is “part of Microsoft’s commitment to help protect its intellectual property and to help you avoid problems before they happen.” Many Chinese feel differently.
The outcry from some users is leaning towards legal action. Microsoft may find themselves up against the courts in China should the software giant’s attempt to “protect its intellectual property” be viewed by lawmakers as violating China’s Criminal Law. If it’s proven that the “Advantage” program actually intrudes in the same fashion as malicious hacker software, the big “M” might be facing substantial fines.
Keep in mind that Bill Gates announced, along with his retirement, that he would be headed for China and has already began using the Bill & Melinda Gates foundation to do things like help distribute the Hepatitis B vaccine and fund campaigns to cut down on tobacco use. I’m not sure how popular this latest move will make him with the general population regardless of the charity work he has began. Retired or not, Gates will always be associated with Microsoft and the “Advantage” program might just be too much for the average Tso to swallow.
While I agree that something should be done about the various copyright problems China suffers, I’m not sure attacking one of the world’s largest base of PC users may be the brightest idea. But we’ll just have to see how this unfolds. I just hope Bill’s wearing a “vest” on his visits…
Gritskrieg – End of Line
