A Beijing court has ruled that Microsoft violated a Chinese company’s intellectual property rights in a case over fonts used in past Windows operating systems.
The Beijing Number One Intermediate People’s Court ordered Microsoft to stop selling versions of Windows that use the Chinese fonts, state broadcaster CCTV said. Microsoft plans to appeal the case.
Microsoft originally licensed Zhongyi’s intellectual property, which is what is concerned in this case, more than a decade ago for use in the Chinese version of Windows 95. Zhongyi argues that agreement applied only to Windows 95, but that Microsoft continued to use the intellectual property from Windows 98 to Windows XP.
The court reportedly also ruled that Microsoft’s use of a Chinese input system from Zhongyi did not violate any licensing agreements.
Microsoft agrees with the court that the key in the two cases is a dispute over the scope of licensing agreements. But it disagrees with the ruling on the coverage of the agreements, which it believes also include its use of the fonts, the representative said.
PC World writes that Windows XP is the most widely used OS in Chinese offices and homes.
Microsoft offers Windows 7 in China for a lower price than in developed markets, and often labels its software "legal" to differentiate it from the pirated versions common in the country. Windows 7 Home Premium costs $103 in China, compared to $199.99 in the U.S.