p2pnet - rss feed: No more ‘naked’ PCs in China
p2p news / p2pnet: China has escalated ‘could ban baked computers’ to ‘will ban naked computers’.
The country’s Ministry of Information Industry, the State Copyright Bureau, and the Ministry of Commerce recently said all computers made within China’s borders, "should include a pre-installed operating system".
Now, "The ban will take place by the end of this year and is aimed to further protect intellectual property of software, said Wang Yefei, deputy director of the bureau, at a press conference," declares state news agency Xinhua.
"Government departments shall not purchase computers without legitimate software, and all domestically-made and imported computers are required to be sold with legitimate software pre-installed, said Wang."
Beijing will, "target governments of townships on protection of legitimate software this year, and in late April it will carry out pilot programs to fight pirate software in large-sized state-owned, private and foreign companies."
Chairman Bill once applauded the tendency of some people in China to use unlicensed software saying, "as long as they’re going to steal it, we want them to steal ours. They’ll get sort of addicted, and then we’ll somehow figure out how to collect sometime in the next decade."
The next decade is here, and then some, and as a p2pnet reader observes, "Isn’t that the way drug dealers work too? ‘Come on, kid, try it, the first one’s free..’
"It makes one look at these ‘donations’ of software from Microsoft in a somewhat different light."
Also See:
pre-installed - China and ‘naked PCs’, April 12, 2006
Xinhua - Beijing orders computers to be sold with legitimate operating system, April 14, 2006
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April 17th, 2006 at 5:35 pm
Meh. It’s kind of sad to me only because now companies in China (even the largest ones) have made a lot of money because they never paid a dime for software. If they have to choose between getting imprisoned for NOTHING or buying software, then a lot of companies are just going to go out of business.
I’ll never pay a dime for Windows. It’s not worth it. With all the upgrades that come out every so often. Upgrades are never as good as full reinstalls (I’m talking only about Windows). The 95-98 transition was trash.
April 17th, 2006 at 5:36 pm
What a great thing for freeware (Linux), After all why would anyone pay for Windows when they can get Linux for free.
I just hope that they wil not prohibt musicless pc’s. RIAA would like that, if the installment of RIAA recordings is mandatory. At least in the USA, RIAA can surely have that legislated.
After all because pc’s come without music people are forced to copy music.
Of course the pc maker lobby will push to have non RIAA recordings allowed’ That way the pc makers can then install the cheapest (read worthless) music from, from countries without any legal/copyright system.
Rafael Venegas
http://www.gvenegas.com
April 18th, 2006 at 12:42 am
this could backfire for mr. bill. they can just have linux installed instead. looks good on paper but does not really change anything.