[photopress:it_Zhongyi_electronics.jpg,full,alignright]This is one of those ‘Man bites dog’ stories. Chinese information technology company Zhongyi Electronic, which is responsible for many of the Chinese characters seen on the Internet, is suing Microsoft for alleged intellectual property rights violations.
Microsoft in a statement, surprise, surprise, disputed the legal claim.
The case brought by Zhongyi involves Microsoft’s use of Zhengma, a Chinese input method editor that allows computer users to enter Chinese characters using Western keyboards.
Lan Dekang, general manager of Zhongyi, was quoted as saying, ‘Microsoft hasn’t paid us for 10 years, since they paid for using Zhengma in Windows 95 in 1998.’
[photopress:IT_Zhongyi.jpg,full,alignright]Lan said Microsoft hasn’t signed contracts for the commercial use of the company’s fonts and the input method editor in its Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows 2000 and Windows XP operating systems.
The case will is being heard in Beijing’s No.1 Intermediate People’s Court and Microsoft has already said it has written license agreements with Zhongyi to use its fonts and input method editor in Microsoft products.
In a statement it said, ‘We entered into these agreements under the supervision and guidance of the Chinese government agencies. Microsoft respects intellectual property rights. We use third party IPs only when we have a legitimate right to do so
‘Microsoft has fully performed its obligations including paying Zhongyi the license fees in accordance with the license agreement.’
Zhongyi plainly disagrees. Hence the lawsuit.
Source: MarketWatch