China has launched an anti-monopoly investigation into US software giant Microsoft, and lawsuits by local companies could follow, state media reported yesterday.
China’s State Intellectual Property Office and some research institutions have targeted Microsoft and several other global software firms over suspected monopoly activities, the Shanghai Securities News said.
Firms will be organized to file lawsuits against the software giants after China’s debut anti-monopoly law comes into effect on Aug. 1, unnamed sources told the newspaper.
The probe by Chinese regulators focuses on operating systems and other software developed by international companies that cost much more in China than in the US, one source was quoted as saying.
“On one hand, global software firms, taking advantage of their monopoly position, set unreasonably high prices for genuine software, while on the other hand they criticize Chinese for poor copyright awareness. This is abnormal,” the source said. “With the anti-monopoly law in place, Chinese government and companies have the obligation and right to correct the situation.”
One set of the Windows operating system plus Microsoft Office software can cost up to 7,000 yuan (US$1,015) in China, making it more expensive than a personal computer, the source said.
A spokesman with Beijing-based Microsoft China was not immediately available for comment when reporters contacted the firm.
The State Intellectual Property Office could also not immediately be reached for comment.
China’s parliament passed the country’s first anti-monopoly law last year, sparking concern among US and European business groups.
The law requires that proposed mergers or takeovers of Chinese firms by foreign companies must be checked to ensure that they do not endanger national security or lead to monopolies.
EUROPEAN TARGETS: The planned Munich center would support TSMC’s European customers to design high-performance, energy-efficient chips, an executive said Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), the world’s largest contract chipmaker, yesterday said that it plans to launch a new research-and-development (R&D) center in Munich, Germany, next quarter to assist customers with chip design. TSMC Europe president Paul de Bot made the announcement during a technology symposium in Amsterdam on Tuesday, the chipmaker said. The new Munich center would be the firm’s first chip designing center in Europe, it said. The chipmaker has set up a major R&D center at its base of operations in Hsinchu and plans to create a new one in the US to provide services for major US customers,
The Ministry of Transportation and Communications yesterday said that it would redesign the written portion of the driver’s license exam to make it more rigorous. “We hope that the exam can assess drivers’ understanding of traffic rules, particularly those who take the driver’s license test for the first time. In the past, drivers only needed to cram a book of test questions to pass the written exam,” Minister of Transportation and Communications Chen Shih-kai (陳世凱) told a news conference at the Taoyuan Motor Vehicle Office. “In the future, they would not be able to pass the test unless they study traffic regulations
GAINING STEAM: The scheme initially failed to gather much attention, with only 188 cards issued in its first year, but gained popularity amid the COVID-19 pandemic Applications for the Employment Gold Card have increased in the past few years, with the card having been issued to a total of 13,191 people from 101 countries since its introduction in 2018, the National Development Council (NDC) said yesterday. Those who have received the card have included celebrities, such as former NBA star Dwight Howard and Australian-South Korean cheerleader Dahye Lee, the NDC said. The four-in-one Employment Gold Card combines a work permit, resident visa, Alien Resident Certificate (ARC) and re-entry permit. It was first introduced in February 2018 through the Act Governing Recruitment and Employment of Foreign Professionals (外國專業人才延攬及雇用法),
‘A SURVIVAL QUESTION’: US officials have been urging the opposition KMT and TPP not to block defense spending, especially the special defense budget, an official said The US plans to ramp up weapons sales to Taiwan to a level exceeding US President Donald Trump’s first term as part of an effort to deter China as it intensifies military pressure on the nation, two US officials said on condition of anonymity. If US arms sales do accelerate, it could ease worries about the extent of Trump’s commitment to Taiwan. It would also add new friction to the tense US-China relationship. The officials said they expect US approvals for weapons sales to Taiwan over the next four years to surpass those in Trump’s first term, with one of them saying
RSS