On January 22, Microsoft launched the "Keep it Real" publicity campaign in Shanghai, in a bid to crack down on the piracy further. Tim Cranton, Associate General Counsel for Microsoft, said in the press conference that almost all of the Windows operating systems provided in the form of CD, DVD and U-disk or installed by the third-party are pirated, and that Microsoft could not find totally trustworthy PC distributors in China, as almost all of the PC distributors are connected with piracy more or less. Meanwhile, Microsoft announced that it would take actions against 13 distributors that sell branded PCs installing the pirated Windows software, and the affected PC brands include Acer, ASUS, Dell, HP and Lenovo. Regarding this, Tim Cranton said that the distributors should put a stop to infringement, and Microsoft would take legal action if negotiations do not work. Though Microsoft argued what it does is to provide safe, reliable application experience for customers, some experts said that Microsoft is doing so for profit motives. |