A Beijing court has stated that Microsoft desecrated a Chinese company's intellectual property rights in a case over fonts used in past Windows operating systems. The Beijing Intermediate People's Court ordered Microsoft to stop selling versions of Windows which uses Chinese fonts. The ruling took place during Barack Obama’s visit to China which has brought renewed focus on tensions over piracy and the trade of high-tech products between the countries.

Microsoft originally approved Zhongyi's intellectual property more than a decade ago for use in the Chinese version of Windows 95. Zhongyi argues that agreement applied only to Windows 95, but that Microsoft uses intellectual property from Windows 98 to Windows XP.

Microsoft agrees with the court that there is a dispute over the scope of licensing agreements But it disagrees with the ruling on the treatment of the agreements, which it believes also include its use of the fonts.

Windows XP is the most widely used OS (Operating System) in China. Pirated versions of Windows 7 were on sale in Beijing bazaar weeks before the software was officially released.

Microsoft offers Windows 7 in China for a lower price than in developed markets, and often labels its software "legal" to distinguish it from the pirated versions common in the country. Windows 7 Home Premium is available for 699 yuan ($103) in China, compared to $199.99 in US.

Source: Infoworld