Monday, March 28, 2011

Microsoft seeks to punish manufacturers with suppliers who use "software pirate"

Microsoft is giving a legal battle in several U.S. states to get approval of a law that punishes and fines on manufacturers that country whose foreign suppliers using "pirated software in their production processes." Arguing it is unfair competition, Microsoft would seek sanctions to companies that take no action.

The initiative has alarmed domestic manufacturers who believe that Microsoft wants to save the prosecution of offenders in their field and prosecute American companies should exert an enormous amount of resources to monitor whether their suppliers use legally licensed software. Some do not rule out that the measure also has as its objective the fight against free software.

Experts point out that Microsoft has not raised the federal law if it works for states to adopt the text in their parliaments. It has done in Louisiana. Ruled on this claim in Utah, but has opened the way to the Senate in Washington and other states such as Oregon or New York. It is possible that a sector of the industry to promote a constitutional issue at the federal level against these state laws.

The clearest consequence of this legislation is that, for example, car manufacturer General Motors could be punished because one of its suppliers for the same components used in its factory a pirated copy of Excel, the Microsoft program. U.S. companies, like those of other countries, employ many supplies from countries such as China, where the use of pirated software is common.

No comments:

Post a Comment