China to sue MSFT over high prices

How do you know when a country is ready to enter the legions of developed nations? When it's ready to sue Microsoft. AFP reports that China is conducting an anti-monopoly investigation into giant Microsoft. China's State Intellectual Property Office is leading the investigation and private firms will likely file suit after a new anti-monopoly law goes into effect Aug. 1. The gist of the complaint: Microsoft and other software companies set absurdly high prices for their wares and then scream "piracy" when people would rather copy than pay up.

"On the one hand, global software firms, taking advantage of their monopoly position, set unreasonably high prices for genuine software while on the other hand, they criticise Chinese for poor copyright awareness. This is abnormal. With the anti-monopoly law in place, Chinese government and companies have the obligation and right to correct the situation," a Chinese source said.

Windows plus Office costs over $1,000 in China, more than the cost of a PC.