What do Microsoft employees think of this?
I'm not trying to start a flame war. I'd honestly like to know if Microsoft employees are ok working at a place that gets people jailed like this. Are you more "let's just get as much money as we can", "who cares about that guy, none of this is my problem" or does this disturb you? https://m.slashdot.org/story/340113 Please no "tu quoque"
What he did was illegal. Microsoft did nothing wrong here. I think the prison sentence is a bit too long for this small crime but all American prison sentences are like that.
By fiat, the court says it's illegal, sure. But nothing he was doing would allow for the unlicensed use of software. It was about allowing old computers to be refurbished, which is a positive for society. When you say it was illegal like that's the end of the discussion, does that mean you take a strict legalistic, fatalistic view of all laws? Does might make right?
I also meant to say I agree with the laws here. He did two wrong things. Sell Microsoft's software for money and also copy Microsoft's labeling and packaging. He was infringing on their IP. Imagine you write a song and distribute it for free. Then this guy comes along and starts selling your don't for money. Would that be illegal.
Even if it was illegal, MS claimed each unit was worth $299 which is just plain evil. How can a hard copy of something you can download for free be worth $299?
Or how can technology that was worth $299 when new (which it wasn't, as it was OEM software) be worth the same price today, when there are newer, supposedly better, versions for similar prices.
I think Microsoft was unhappy because these people might have bought a new version of Windows instead. In any case the judge rules it was worth only $25.
No. I’m not. Microsoft sucks ass and has been on the decline for years.
With all this talk of diversity and compassion with in our walls, this is a sad article. If ms teamed up with this guy and helped him distribute/make it would have been a good PR opp. Now we just look like a greedy Corp... oh wait
TIL Slashdot still exists
This is distribution. I study law and it’s a crime. Why are we feeling sympathy for a criminal? Anti establishment? Doesn’t matter if he does good for the world in general. This was a copyright infringement and they had to make an example of him, unfortunate as it is.
I know it sounds like a criminal scale copyright infringement, but that's not the end of it. After all, that was only made a crime a few years ago. Copyright isn't fixed in stone for all time, and seriously needs to be reformed, because it's broken when things like this can happen. And Microsoft shouldn't have been dicks and asserted their rights anyway, but of course they did, because that's what Microsoft does. For all the people saying "it's a crime", just think of all the things that have been crimes in the past that no longer are.
“les get as much money as we can”? I am not getting shit from this; it’s unfortunate, but blame the law and business
Is it unfortunate enough that you would grumble about it at work, so that you might be heard, and the company could learn to act differently?
my grumbling is/will not be heard high enough