Microsoft pricing strategy

Microsoft plans to enact a more flexible pricing strategy in China to allow more users to afford its genuine software, Xinhua News Agency reports.

Lin Congwu, a marketing manager of Microsoft China, expressed gratitude to the National Copyright Administration for publicly expressing "understanding and support" for the company's anti-piracy efforts, Xinhua reports.

"There is no doubt about whether piracy is right or not. But we can discuss whether software is expensive or not," Lin says.

The administration's vice-director Yan Xiaohong recently said the administration "understands and supports the rights-safeguarding move taken by institutions including Microsoft". However, he pointed out that Microsoft should "pay attention to the methods".

Microsoft launched the "Windows Genuine Advantage" (WGA) and "Office Genuine Advantage" (OGA) tools recently to test the legitimacy of the software in China's computers. Those whose software failed the tests see a temporary black desktop or a permanent warning saying the computer is using pirated Office software.

Although the company said it would not collect personal information with the new software controversy over the move has escalated.

The incident also triggered online surveys on almost every major portal website in China. The majority of respondents said they were unhappy with the move.

The China Computer Federation has issued a public statement condemning the Microsoft moves, saying the company breached the basic ethics of software developers with the unsolicited remote control of computers.

Standard approved overseas

A Chinese software standard has been approved by the Organization for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards (OASIS), Xinhua News Agency reports.

The standard, Unstructured Operation Markup Language, is a read and write access standard for electronic documents and was created by the China Electronics Standardization Association (CESA).

It was the first Chinese software standard accepted by the international organization.

An official with the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology says the ministry would encourage use of the standard.

OASIS is a not-for-profit consortium that drives the development, convergence and adoption of open standards.

IP judicial protection month

From November 10, all-level courts in Shanghai are scheduled to publicly judge a selection of IPR-related cases and the proceedings will be streamed live online. Go to www.hshfy.sh.cn for more information.

It's part of Shanghai Municipal Higher People's Court IPR judicial protection month with the theme of strengthening judicial protection and inspiring independent innovation.

Since the establishment of IPR tribunal in 1994, the court has handled over 9,000 IPR civil cases of the first and second instances. From 2003 to 2007, all courts in Shanghai judged a total of 303 IPR criminal cases of the first instance and concluded 288 ones.

The courts in Inner Mongolian Autonomous Region have also launched an IP judicial protection month. The people's courts at different levels in Inner Mongolia will enhance the publicity of IP judicial protection work by hanging scrolls and laying exhibition boards, promoting IP protection awareness.

Since 1993, the courts at different levels have accepted 1,001 IP dispute cases, including 865 IP civil cases at the first instance, 127 IP civil cases at the second instance, eight IP administrative cases at the first instance and one IP administrative cases at the second instance. The trial cases concern patents, trademarks, Internet domain names, copyrights, unfair competition, commercial secrets and technology contracts.

Arbitration center launched

The Shanghai Intellectual Property Arbitration Center was recently founded with 61 intellectual and law professionals appointed as arbitrators.

The center will offer a new channel to solve intellectual property disputes as well as file lawsuits and lodge complaints to government departments, officials say.

Joint law enforcement

The IPR departments of 12 provinces and autonomous regions in western China recently held a conference on cooperation in patent administrative law enforcement in Chongqing and signed a cooperation agreement on interregional investigation of patent-related cases.

According to the agreement, the parties involved will adopt a unified acceptance procedure for patent cases, rules of case handling and related law enforcement forms. Wherever infringement occurs, the local patent office shall make investigation on the spot and give necessary support and collaboration to the regions related to the case.

A conference will be hosted by each party in turn annually to sum up the experiences in the joint law enforcement agreement.

The agreement will integrate the competence of patent law enforcement of the 12 provinces including Sichuan, Guizhou, and Yunnan, says Yuan Jie, director of Chongqing Municipal Intellectual Property Office.

Copyright trade book show

The Zhejiang Copyright Trade Book Exhibition, jointly sponsored by Zhejiang Provincial Copyright Bureau and the Information Office of Zhejiang Provincial People's Government was recently held in Spain and Italy. Nearly 3,000 kinds of books newly published by 13 publishing houses in Zhejiang were represented.

This is the first time for Zhejiang Provincial Copyright Bureau to organize delegation to hold a copyright trade book exhibition in Europe. The delegation visited two publishing groups in Spain and Italy, had exchanges and negotiations on copyright trade and signed copyright and book trade contracts.

(China Daily 11/10/2008 page9)

2013-07-17