Lawmaker to wage new legal battle against Microsoft

Taipei, March 7, 2003 (CENS)--The Cabinet-level Directorate General of Budget, Accounting & Statistics has started consulting with Microsoft Corp. of the United States on the contents of an agreement concerning the government security program (GSP).

The pact is part of the agreement reached between the Fair Trade Commission (FTC) and Microsoft for the "administrative settlement" with the American software giant in late February.

Under the GSP, Microsoft will provide the source codes for its Windows series of software products to ward off the increasing threats to information security and to safeguard the data gathered and handled by the government, according to officials of the Executive Yuan (Cabinet).

Microsoft has inked the GSP pact with Britain, Russia, mainland China, and the North Atlantic Treaty Agreement. It is still negotiating with 20 other countries on the same deal.

Cabinet officials said the government will also ask Microsoft to establish an information security alert and report system to enable the government to grasp the latest development immediately after the government data come under attack by hackers.

People First Party Legislator Hsieh Chang-chieh urged the FTC to push Microsoft to unconditionally release its source code in Taiwan. He noted that the pact signed by Microsoft and Beijing will allow the inclusion of the mainland into a "government source code program."

This shows that Taiwan has received unfair treatment from Microsoft, Hsieh said, adding that the FTC should not regard the administrative settlement as a victory.

Hsieh said he will file a petition with the Cabinet concerning the case since the victims of Microsoft's unfair marketing operations in Taiwan were not invited to any public hearings to air their views as required by the regulations.

He said that he will ask the Administrative Court to revoke the administrative settlement between the FTC and Microsoft. The lawmaker added that he will make new efforts to take Microsoft to the court for its employment of monopoly position to reap exorbitant profits in Taiwan.