01.05.11
Ukraine, Russia, China and Several More Countries Under Attack From Microsoft Pirates
Summary: Microsoft goes aboard the governments of foreign sovereign nations and makes them pay Microsoft for software it seeded among the population
SHOULD UKRAINE move to GNU/Linux and Free software? It wants to, but Microsoft stands in its way [1, 2, 3] (people to whom this is new are strongly encouraged to read these articles from the past). Here is a new Business photo of Microsoft’s CEO Steve Ballmer in Ukraine. Here’s what it says:
During talks, Ukraine’s government pledged to legalize software it uses at government offices. (Courtesy)
Which Ukrainian sea does Microsoft allege there is ‘piracy’ in? Well, this is just an excuse for Microsoft to clench its fist and take yet more money out of Ukrainian taxpayers, whether they want to or not. As we explained before, Microsoft uses propaganda acquired from IDC to justify this plot and such propaganda is perpetually used to evoke guilt in the minds of anyone gullible enough in the country. “Microsoft Considers Beneficial For Ukraine To Reduce Pirated Software” says this other headline, which uses the lies from IDC, as usual (we have already explained why IDC lies here, on numerous occasions in fact).
He cited IDC survey data saying that 85% of software installed on personal computers in Ukraine in 2009 was pirated.
Watch how IDC’s parent company, IDG, amplifies this nonsense as a ‘news’ agency.
“It’s heartbreaking because of people who work hard to spread GNU/Linux in their homeland Russia, only to meet dirty tactics from the abusive monopolist.”The UK, not just Ukraine, has such bogus statistics used against it, in order to buy Microsoft some sympathy while it loots entire nations. Here is another new headline which is very amusing because it speaks of a corrupt company and corrupt government promising to help “fight corruption”. It doesn’t get more comical than that, but we digress.
We feel for Ukraine because of its history and because of its ties to/with Russia. And this leads us to the next issue from the news. Putin makes many headlines these days (in various languages) because he advocates software freedom for Russia, including of course GNU/Linux [1, 2, 3, 4]. Microsoft is trying to derail this in Russia, as it has been doing for many years now. We covered this many times. It’s heartbreaking because of people who work hard to spread GNU/Linux in their homeland Russia, only to meet dirty tactics from the abusive monopolist.
“Microsoft helped crack down on activists as means of colluding with the Russian government to stifle dissidence.”Microsoft is already dumping software (“Microsoft takes on Putin’s Russia”), as always with the intention of keeping Microsoft monoculture there, no matter the toll. Microsoft decided to withdraw its attack on activists because it is bad PR (this Russian spin was covered here before). Not so long ago a “Russian Teacher [Was] Fired For Complaining About Having To Use Microsoft Software” and around the same time “Microsoft pledge[d] support for Russian tech hub” in a type of move where Microsoft offers a ‘gift’ to Russia in exchange for some leverage over the government (Norway is a recent example of it [1, 2]). Reporters neglect to discuss the motives [1, 2, 3, 4], but that’s what ought to be expected from docile corporate media (that last one is from Pravda and there is also CBS). This one from the religious press is funny as well, not to mention the Huff & Puff where a writer asks: “Does Microsoft care more about international software piracy and sales than it does about the persecution of dissident groups in Russia and China?”
That’s the wrong question to ask. Microsoft helped crack down on activists as means of colluding with the Russian government to stifle dissidence. The licences were just a convenient pretext or excuse. To Microsoft, this was not about making another sale or two in Russia. But hey, as Toby repeatedly tells us, the role of the Huffingtons (rich oil family) is to amplify noise/signal from channels like Fox, it’s not truly a progressive site. Here is what looks like a Ubuntu site praising Microsoft for spreading proprietary software, pretending to do ‘charity’ and addressing ‘piracy’. What a misguiding disgrace. “Somali Pirates Capture Another German Merchant Ship” says the news about real pirates. Reporters who label people who won’t pay Microsoft for Windows “pirates” deserve to be humiliated, for they too should realise that in many nations Windows is priced out of reach and Microsoft loves it when poor people resort to counterfeiting. It makes Microsoft stronger.
“But hey, as Toby repeatedly tells us, the role of the Huffingtons (rich oil family) is to amplify noise signal from channels like Fox, it’s not truly a progressive site.”On we move to China, where the government has also been coerced into serving Microsoft’s interests at citizens’ own expense (this is a critique by the way; It’s just more business in China, as part of an “Alliance”). “China to inspect government computers for pirated software” says this headline. Whose responsibility is it anyway? “Govt continues battle to halt pirated software use” says the Chinese press in English: “China will intensify efforts to push use of legal software and combat software copyright infringement including pre-installing illegal software on computers so as to improve the legal environment in the country’s software industry, officials said at a news conference in Beijing Tuesday.”
Watch the Murdoch press and Chinese press playing along [1, 2, 3]. Repression seems like a common ground to them. It is something they can both agree on.
“Microsoft China Sues Ten Dealers For Pirated Software Installations” says another Chinese site (sometimes they extort to settle with money). To quote part of the article: “The ten dealers are Beijing Yuntong Shidai Technology Trade Company; Beijing Yuchen Shimei Technology Company; Beijing Sinetec Technology Company; Shanghai Summit Technology Company; Nanjing Bibang Network Technology Development Company; Nanjing Herun Technology Company; Guangzhou Yitai Information Technology Company; Shenzhen Prodigy Industry Company; Chengdu Bandung Haotian Technology Company; and Chengdu Xinshidai Network Company.” Another article says that “Microsoft wins piracy case against Chinese internet cafes”.
“How about suing people who spread Microsoft software to the point where they are too afraid to touch it?”Way to go, Microsoft. How about suing people who spread Microsoft software to the point where they are too afraid to touch it? Well, frankly, Microsoft can avoid such backlash because according to another new report (from IDG), Microsoft is using proxies again, notably the BSA. There is also a lot of new propaganda derived from that, even echoed by sites like Geek.com (further echoed here at Geeksmack.net), which in turn cite Ashlee Vance’s lip service to Microsoft propaganda. In Asia it’s the same story because the crackdown for Windows tax has just gone global while Windows profits decline. Here for example is a detailed report from India. Consider BSA raids for Microsoft in the gulf: “Microsoft Gulf is a member of the Business Software Alliance (BSA), the foremost advocate for the software industry.”
Advocate “for the software industry”? Really? It only represents about 20 companies all of which are selling proprietary software, quite exclusively too. It makes them only a small subset of the software industry, but the BSA only pretends to be something that it’s not, just as Microsoft’s front group ACT pretends to represent small businesses. These lobbyists only pressure to pass laws that are beneficial to Microsoft and recently there was a big court ruling regarding the transfer of sold software (second-hand). Watch Microsoft taking on eBay right now:
The Bexar County Sheriff’s Office began investigating Meng in September, after a private investigator with Microsoft was able to allegedly buy the counterfeit software on eBay.
When Microsoft needs to cheat in its reports regarding Windows numbers, no wonder it becomes so trigger-happy. Windows is no longer the lucrative cash cow it once was, due to decreasing cost margins. Microsoft knows what to do then… █
“They’ll get sort of addicted, and then we’ll somehow figure out how to collect sometime in the next decade.”
