Teachers' group seeks to challenge Microsoft's power

Eunice Chiou, the general manager of Microsoft Taiwan, tells a press conference yesterday that the software giant does not raise prices indiscriminately every year, in response to criticism it is abusing its monopoly power in operating systems. PHOTO: LIO SHIN-DER, TAIPEI TIMES

With the Ministry of Justice cracking down on software piracy, the National Teachers' Association (全國教師會) demanded that the US-based software company Microsoft make its products available to educational establishments for free, Chinese-language media reported yesterday.

Chang Hui-shan (張輝山), director of the teachers' association, said at a press conference yesterday it had tried to solicit support from teachers' groups around the world for its demand that the software giant give up its copyright on software used in schools.

If the software provider pressures schools to pay exorbitant fees on the premise of protecting intellectual property rights (IPR), Chang said, the association would lobby international teachers' groups to boycott Microsoft products.

The justice ministry's move to crack down on IPR violations starting from May 1 has triggered an intense backlash on college campuses, who have complained that Microsoft controls an unfair monopoly.

TSU lawmaker Su Yin-kuei (蘇盈貴) denounced the crackdown and asked why Taiwan chose to work against the international trend of decriminalizing piracy.

Supporting the association's claim, PFP lawmaker Hsieh Chang-chieh (謝章捷) said Microsoft had exploited its consumers, mainly students, since the company's Windows products are incompatible with each other.

TSU Legislator Lin Chih-lung (林志隆) suggested, with Microsoft controlling 80 percent of the market, the government should develop an operating system and make the source code publicly available.

Lin said the Institute for Information Industry (資策會) should take the lead in coordinating Taiwan's software producers to come up with a new system to challenge Microsoft's dominance.

The justice ministry launched its "2002 Business Against Piracy Campaign" with a series of seminars in March.

The seminars, held in conjunction with the Business Software Alliance (BSA), covered legal issues and management in protecting IPR.

Companies were given a 45-day grace period in which to identify any illegal software they might be using, after which they would be liable for prosecution. The grace period ended on on Wednesday last week.

To help with the crackdown, the public has been asked to inform the BSA if they think their company is using pirated software in return for a reward.

The BSA said it had already received 300 calls, about eight times more than in previous crackdowns.